things are heating up

The Crunch

Global warming. The arguments I hear close to home are echoed outward.

Arguments about whether we are causing it or if it's a natural phenomenon. Does it matter? How are we going to protect our children and grandchildren? How are we going to protect life on earth?

Or don't we care? We shrug our shoulders so often about so many things. As "The Crunch" points out, most of the things we shrug our shoulders about have time to work themselves out. Slavery, poverty, economic tyranny - these things will eventually be confronted by revolution or maybe by just growing up as human beings. I'm guessing it'll be revolution, though.

But apparently our global warming situation is like cancer. Once it has presented itself, you either face it head on and endure the cure, or die. All the talk about lifestyle, whether diet, exercise, pollution, stress, or genetic mutation doesn't change the fact that it's do or die time.

And what can I do? I've already adopted many of the lifestyle changes. As I can, I make more changes. My next step will be involvement at the community level. I live in a middle class suburb that prohibits clotheslines in our yards, and gardens must be within a relatively modest size. All this is to protect "property values." It's easy enough to get around the garden limitations. Just develop several small garden plots, each within the size limitations. That's actually a good way to garden anyway, and is aesthetically pleasing. But clotheslines? That'll be a tougher nut to crack. Since nobody wants to take the time to hang their clothes out anyway, they're not going to be inclined to change the neighborhood association regulations.

Well, just musing a bit. When I'm gone and when my grandchildren are struggling with a changing climate, I want them to know I was thinking of them and doing what I could. This being Good Friday, I think of the traditional thinking that Jesus died on the cross for us. I wonder what kind of lifestyle dying I can do for my children and grandchildren.

Or will they recognize the "dying" to self, turn me into an icon that is prayed to weekly, and go about doing their own climate destruction? What kind of thanks will that be? Does that let me off the hook? Simply, no.