For everything there is a season
I sometimes try to imagine what living "sustainably" might possibly mean.
I can consider running as an example. If I want to run a 100 meters, I can run very fast. Sustainability is only needed to be considered during the, well say 13 seconds it takes me to finish the race. I can deplete my muscles of oxygen because there'll bee time later to recover it.
Similarly if I'm running a 10 mile race, I can run without eating because my body can store enough energy to run that far without eating. There'll be time for eating later. AND if I'm chasing my prey, I suppose my running might get me my food as well!
What is sustainable depends on what time scale you have to recover the costs paid.
Well, if you consider humanity, all 6.5 billion of us, we can eat a lot of food, but we can't necessarily save a lot of food for many years, so we generally will try to grow the food we need to eat each year, with a little extra for security of bad weather and such.
If we hit a number of bad years in a row, our "sustainable" source of food may find itself unable to keep up with demand, and like all animals, we may start to starve, and if it continues too long, some of us will die.
I tend to agree with the opinion that using fossil fuels for growing crops is a bad idea, at least as a sole source of energy for our farming.
Fossil fuels can in the short run allow us an abundance of food, which allows our population to rise, and possibly above the level that can be sustained if our fossil fuel access is reduced, or if some other crisis limits our food production.
Maybe more people means more smart people learning ways to work around crises, or maybe just more mouths to feed.
I recognize I am a worrier. It is easier to see flaws in our way of life than it is to see what we'll do about it when the flaws become serious immediate threats.
Maybe 6.5 billion people is just part of "god's plan"? Or maybe we're approaching a new evolutionary step when a crisis will knock out 95% of humanity, and we need the genetic diversity to create the 5% whom will survive?
Much easier to be philosophical than to make decisions that may cause suffering and death in the future! Leaders make decisions on actions that risk immediate death and suffering. They also make decisions that can affect an unknown future.
Well, I'm glad I'm not a leader, but since maybe we have no leadership, I must accept some responsibility for my little corner of the world.
I can sit here well-feed, and comfortable. Meanwhile there are places on earth with others, like me, but not so lucky. Maybe it's all politics, not actually my responsibility to face poverty in my neighbors. I only remind myself of that to counter my own disbelief that harder times can fall upon me as well. I may be blessed, but I'm not any more special than others now suffering and hopeless.
Maybe times of abundance hold their own suffering, from which we can soon be relieved, or at least open up consciousness of fear that no longer serves the purpose that created it.
It is fun to play games and imagine, less fun to need to change against my will by external forces.
May you live in interesting times.
Yes, but maybe not too interesting!
I can consider running as an example. If I want to run a 100 meters, I can run very fast. Sustainability is only needed to be considered during the, well say 13 seconds it takes me to finish the race. I can deplete my muscles of oxygen because there'll bee time later to recover it.
Similarly if I'm running a 10 mile race, I can run without eating because my body can store enough energy to run that far without eating. There'll be time for eating later. AND if I'm chasing my prey, I suppose my running might get me my food as well!
What is sustainable depends on what time scale you have to recover the costs paid.
Well, if you consider humanity, all 6.5 billion of us, we can eat a lot of food, but we can't necessarily save a lot of food for many years, so we generally will try to grow the food we need to eat each year, with a little extra for security of bad weather and such.
If we hit a number of bad years in a row, our "sustainable" source of food may find itself unable to keep up with demand, and like all animals, we may start to starve, and if it continues too long, some of us will die.
I tend to agree with the opinion that using fossil fuels for growing crops is a bad idea, at least as a sole source of energy for our farming.
Fossil fuels can in the short run allow us an abundance of food, which allows our population to rise, and possibly above the level that can be sustained if our fossil fuel access is reduced, or if some other crisis limits our food production.
Maybe more people means more smart people learning ways to work around crises, or maybe just more mouths to feed.
I recognize I am a worrier. It is easier to see flaws in our way of life than it is to see what we'll do about it when the flaws become serious immediate threats.
Maybe 6.5 billion people is just part of "god's plan"? Or maybe we're approaching a new evolutionary step when a crisis will knock out 95% of humanity, and we need the genetic diversity to create the 5% whom will survive?
Much easier to be philosophical than to make decisions that may cause suffering and death in the future! Leaders make decisions on actions that risk immediate death and suffering. They also make decisions that can affect an unknown future.
Well, I'm glad I'm not a leader, but since maybe we have no leadership, I must accept some responsibility for my little corner of the world.
I can sit here well-feed, and comfortable. Meanwhile there are places on earth with others, like me, but not so lucky. Maybe it's all politics, not actually my responsibility to face poverty in my neighbors. I only remind myself of that to counter my own disbelief that harder times can fall upon me as well. I may be blessed, but I'm not any more special than others now suffering and hopeless.
Maybe times of abundance hold their own suffering, from which we can soon be relieved, or at least open up consciousness of fear that no longer serves the purpose that created it.
It is fun to play games and imagine, less fun to need to change against my will by external forces.
May you live in interesting times.
Yes, but maybe not too interesting!
posted by Ares Olympus at 5:37 PM
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