Statisticking

When one person passes away, there is mourning. When many people die, it’s a statistic. That’s why I found the parachuting story to be the most morbid part of the whole book. The way Squarzoni described it was so depressing that I was disturbed by how he compared it to us. I thought, how could you say such a negative thing about mankind? We must have hope. But he has a very good point. If we don’t do anything, well, no one will. We’re the only ones who can destroy Earth and the only ones who can save the climate from chaos. The parachute story only shows how important each statistic actually is. If one death disturbs us, who is to say, “I don’t care about the rest?” We can’t keep pretending like we don’t care, because we actually do. We can say they have nothing to do with us, but like the parachute person, we are exactly like them. Almost like family—they aren’t us, but they could have been. Have you ever woken up amazed that you are so blessed by the particular life you have? I could have been born elsewhere, I could have had the worst luck. Have you ever just felt grateful by simply who you are?

I have always wondered how weird it is for us to be so heavily dependent on electricity, fossil fuels, and technology. I am an observer, like the photographer. I am an outsider, and I don’t realize what is happening to my own self. Perhaps I get it from my mother. But like mothers, it is important to step back and watch what you’re doing. It is important to watch what everyone else is doing. Just because everyone else is doing it doesn’t mean it’s right. Sometimes, we’re all screwing ourselves over. But this time, everyone is screwing each other over. We don’t question it because “it’s going to be alright.” We don’t question it because “it helps the economy”, and because “it’s good for business.” You know what’s not good for the economy? HOUSES UNDER WATER. DRIED UP FARMLAND. UPROOTED FORESTS. That’s right, question it. Question everything that has crossed your mind. Yes, cities use a lot of energy and yes, factories create a lot of pollution. Deal with it. We can’t keep ignoring this. We can help solve it, though. When there is a will, there is a way!