It is becoming clearer and clearer to me that many of the irrational decisions made by man in regards to their culture and the enviorment, are simply from an inability to see issues from a scope any longer than a year; and even that may be giving us to much credit. Mankind’s problem with climate change may be immense, and our addiction to our currently unsustainable lifestyles may be difficult to kick, but the change is absolutely possible. Scientists have devised ingenious strategies and technologies to live our lives in a more sustainable manner and even undo much of the damage we have done. While of course man’s achievement in finding solutions should be praised, it if anything leaves us with a sad reality: although we can change, we simply don’t care enough to actually make change happen.
Whether simply cultural or in fact inherent to human nature, examples of this laziness are seen all the time. People constantly complain that they need to go on a diet or that they need to study more, however the vast majority of the time if there is any change in action whatsoever, the change is remarkably short-lasting and fades just as soon as the next distraction comes along. Humans truly have a attention problem. Most people will not argue that they should not try to live in a more environmentally manner, however few will actually act on it. The reason environmentalists push legislation that applies to the entire population, forcing citizens into action rather than giving them total freedom is because they see no possibility in actions otherwise, not simply out of an insistence on controlling others. Sadly however even those measures will likely not work, as people are far better at doing what they want to do, and moreover what they what for short term gratification, than what they need to do even if it is in their own best interest.
I realize this is quite a fatalistic outlook on things but I truly believe that, unless mankind is able to start acting against their own nature, change will not come until what is better long term also happens to be better in the short term. Wind and solar energies are only becoming of interest as oil prices continue to rise, and while oil is still the cheaper option I just don’t see people being willing to pay more solely for the environment on a great enough scale to make any real difference.
Because of this flaw in human nature, the study of personal, smaller projects that have difference, as is to be covered in the last part of the arc of this class, to is me, brilliant. Sadly while the concept of few doing the work of the public is unfair, it is a reality that must be accepted and acted on as a reality. Humanity is in many ways like any classic group project, one or two people do all the work, some purely leach and bring nothing to the table and some fall in between perhaps supporting the effort but in reality doing little or nothing, making them not much better than their cold-hearted counterparts who do nothing. While I can admit to often being in that middle group when it comes to issues such as the environment, I’m hoping to find ways I can make an impact, as I don’t trust the public to handle these matters themselves.
