Semi-Political Ramblings

I watched the movie "An Inconvenient Truth" early this morning, and I must say that it had a deep impact on me. And in truth no part of me would even say that I am surprised it had a deep impact either. I think part of the reason that I have delayed watching the film, is that I realized early on how large of an impact the movie would likely have on me, and deliberately choose not to watch so I could keep living my life the way that I was. Willful blindness I believe is what academics call that, one helluva useful adaptive skill if you ask me. What I find most damning about a film like that though, is not the fact that I as the Joe Schmo-consumer out there am horrified and depressed by all the findings (the one part I didn't buy into was at the end of the film with all the hopeful, positive steps that could be taken, because I know full well that even if we do that, there is no way in hell that China will ever play along), I think that is frankly to be expected. I am more shocked and outraged that the people in charge of this country, in charge of the science behind these findings and who have real power to actually begin to make these changes are willing to do so f-ing little.

The one thing to me that the new Bush administration has shown is how easily democracy can be thwarted in a busy and vibrant country like the United States. The analogy of the frog boiling slowly in the water is I think spot on. Surround people with enough creature comforts, bury them in a ceaseless supply of escapism opportunities in the forms of TV shows, blockbuster movies, video games complete with a pantheon of its celebrities, and what do you get - a contented mass stricken by societal ADD that is incapable of focusing any attention on the long-term. I guess it is no surprise then that our polictical system has adapted to take advantage of this situation. Our antiquated two-party structure is unable to intelligently and honestly debate and discuss any single issue, even the low hanging fruit. No one has the attention span to care enough about anything. Part of me laughs at times, because when you step back it is kinda funny. It is so remarkably easy to get away with stuff, because the egregious is never fairly punished. But it is also embarrassing, and we as a country should be ashamed of ourselves. What misplaced pride we have.

I wish there was an index out there in the financial world that could bet against humanity, because I would love nothing more to short man. We really are poised on a precipice right now with so many forces conspring to smite us. We have internal man-on-man terrorist pressures who aspire for a nuclear posterity, we have nasty bugs and viruses evolving in an environment with super-charged evolutionary pressures encouraged by our overpopulation, undernutrition and misuse of so-called wonder drugs, we have the catacylsmic force of natural disaster - hurricane, earthquake, volcano, sea-level rise, air-borne pollution - working to systematically take out the foundation of our societies. And what forces do we have working for us? Cassandras abound because there is no political will to hear messages that are depressing and require long-term sacrifice. And with the increased understanding of human frailities, comes the increased ability to take rhetorical advantage of our human weaknesses and let the forces of inertia rule.

But such fatalism really is neither honorable nor productive. The stakes are too high. Being right and correspondingly rich doesn't cut it if it means that you have lost everything. For what does it profit a man to gain the world and lose his soul? Perhaps the most provactive line in the Bible, that great work of historical fiction. The sad thing is that I too know I am indirectly guilty of not living up to my understood (and now documented) sense of responsibility. In the face of so many awesome challenges, it is so hard to pick any one thing to focus on that it can be easier to pick none. So instead I have thus far chosen to work hard, do what I can in my personal life to live up to a higher standard, and pray that someone else comes along willing to take the fight up to the next level. In that sense, I do find the figure of almost-President Gore to be inspiring, at least he is putting his chips on the table and making a statement. But as a young-ish person without that clout, it just seems so impossible to make a real difference.

I don't believe that America's greatness has been an accident of fate. Certainly our natural resources and relative geographic isolation from war-torn Europe have been major benefits, but to me that is only half the story. In my opinion, the greatest asset we have had is that we have been inordinately blessed with the quality of our early leadership. The vision and integrity of the Founding Fathers (with notable exceptions of course), set this country on its impressive course. And when such events in history occurred where we were called upon to act together as a single people, most notably World War II, we responded.

Yet, the latter-half of the 20th Century, perhaps as a result of our unique position following World War II, has been a time of much less nobleness. I think in many ways both William J. Clinton and George W. Bush represent the two extremes of our country's modern persona. Clinton's unsurpassed mix of charisma and intelligence was ultimately marred by his utter lack of a moral compass, and Bush's folksy, keep it simple, real American straight-talk was corrupted by its lack of introspection and anti-intellectualism, and ultimately perverted by its inability to discern false (if not downright evil) prophets. They are both symptomic of how the United States has lost its way. It is my personal belief that the stakes have been raised for humanity, and our course as a species will be radically determined by who steps in to fill the current crisis in world leadership.

CJ