There's a story in today's New York Times about the senate bids of the son and nephew of the late congressman Morris Udall. They're running as hardcore environmentalists, and facing stiff opposition from Republicans because of it. The Republican line is: They're opposed to drilling in the Rockies! They're the reason gas prices are so high!
It would be easy (and fun, of course) to turn this into yet another anti-Republican screed. But why assign blame? We all continue to live like there's (literally) no tomorrow.
Face it, we're screwing up the planet. We've always known--haven't we?--that natural resources are limited. There's only so much fuel, only so much land, only so much air. Yet we keep consuming, all of us, as if we can't even imagine an alternative to our lives, as if the good times will never end.
Oh, but we stroke our egos, expressing concern as if that alone accomplishes something. Ads on progressive websites beg us to support a green presidential candidate, and feature without irony a picture of Barack Obama. Obama, who hops around the country on a private jet, burning through barrels of oil as he scurries from one photo op to another, pumping untold amounts of noxious fumes into the atmosphere. Sure, he can talk a good game, but he won't actually put it into practice, because why should he? Who is demanding a change?
Not us. We can grumble about gas prices all we want, but when it comes right down to it, we'll just shrug and pay the price, because what else are we going to do? Drive less? Use public transportation? Demand more fuel-efficient vehicles? That's hippie stuff! We change our lifestyles for no one.
With all the crazy, calamitous weather happenings all over the world, it seems clear our very planet is trying to tell us something, to protest our endless abuse, to at least remind us to be careful. But we're only human, too self-obsessed to listen.
