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George Carlin has defined the purpose for humans to produce plastic, because the Earth needs plastic. Here is the famous quote from him: “We’re so self-imp

George Carlin has defined the purpose for humans to produce plastic, because the Earth needs plastic. Here is the famous quote from him: “We’re so self-important. Everybody’s going to save something now. “Save the trees, save the bees, save the whales, save those snails.” And the greatest arrogance of all: save the planet. Save the planet, we don’t even know how to take care of ourselves yet. I’m tired of this shit. I’m tired of f-ing Earth Day. I’m tired of these self-righteous environmentalists, these white, bourgeois liberals who think the only thing wrong with this country is that there aren’t enough bicycle paths. People trying to make the world safe for Volvos. Besides, environmentalists don’t give a shit about the planet. Not in the abstract they don’t. You know what they’re interested in? A clean place to live. Their own habitat. They’re worried that some day in the future they might be personally inconvenienced. Narrow, unenlightened self-interest doesn’t impress me. The planet has been through a lot worse than us. Been through earthquakes, volcanoes, plate tectonics, continental drift, solar flares, sun spots, magnetic storms, the magnetic reversal of the poles … hundreds of thousands of years of bombardment by comets and asteroids and meteors, worldwide floods, tidal waves, worldwide fires, erosion, cosmic rays, recurring ice ages … And we think some plastic bags and some aluminum cans are going to make a difference? The planet isn’t going anywhere. WE are! We’re going away. Pack your shit, folks. We’re going away. And we won’t leave much of a trace, either. Maybe a little Styrofoam … The planet’ll be here and we’ll be long gone. Just another failed mutation. Just another closed-end biological mistake. An evolutionary cul-de-sac. The planet’ll shake us off like a bad case of fleas. The planet will be here for a long, long, LONG time after we’re gone, and it will heal itself, it will cleanse itself, ’cause that’s what it does. It’s a self-correcting system. The air and the water will recover, the earth will be renewed. And if it’s true that plastic is not degradable, well, the planet will simply incorporate plastic into a new paradigm: the earth plus plastic. The earth doesn’t share our prejudice toward plastic. Plastic came out of the earth. The earth probably sees plastic as just another one of its children. Could be the only reason the earth allowed us to be spawned from it in the first place. It wanted plastic for itself. Didn’t know how to make it. Needed us. Could be the answer to our age-old egocentric philosophical question, “Why are we here?” Plastic… asshole.”

lcall 6y ago
Clever, but ... ouch. I am very grateful to have learned for myself by multiple means that God is real, in charge, and has a long-term plan for us that extends beyond this life, and for which this earth is an important part, that we should respect, also because it is His beautiful creation and our home. Others will disagree, and we all will choose for ourselves. I hope that while we are choosing, we can treat each other and the earth with honesty, respect, and kindness. (thoughtful comments appreciated)
- idiocrat 6y ago
  This should be either His evil intent or His professional negligence that estimated 1.5 billion masks has entered the oceans in 2020. https://www.greenmatters.com/p/how-many-face-masks-ocean-2020 https://www.greenmatters.com/p/how-many-face-masks-ocean-202...
  - lcall 6y ago
    You raise an interesting issue, and pollution is a concern to me also. In my beliefs, part of His plan is letting us exercise our agency (or ability to choose), for our experience/learning/growth, and to find or show what it is we really desire; and there are consequences. It is up to us to learn to make good choices, but He does not force us. There will be justice, and mercy to those who seek it, for whom I believe things really will be made OK in the end. (Our choices matter, and we live in a very imperfect world.) So, there are both big issues and opportunities for individual peace while we work on the issues, and even as we experience troubles (Edit: and our good efforts are all worthwhile, as this is neither the beginning nor end of our existence). It seems good to start with ourselves, and encourage others (that honesty/Golden Rule stuff). I hope that makes some sense, whether or not we agree on details. More is elsewhere.
    - idiocrat 6y ago
      > It is up to us to learn to make good choices, but He does not force us. If you are saying that you are solely responsible for your own actions, why then you need an inert Bystander? It is completely indifferent and you can choose any other Totem to run your thoughts by, or act in the Name of. You can choose Neutrinos, for example. They are truly abundant and omnipresent -- quazillions of Neutrinos are passing through your body each femtosecond. They are not forcing you to do anything (because they do not interact). They are just filling your body with their presence. You can talk to them and ask them for the Way, and they will share the same space with you to comfort you, as you know they are with you, but also leave you to your options. The Neutrinos are fully inert Bystanders.

lcall 6y ago

Clever, but ... ouch. I am very grateful to have learned for myself by multiple means that God is real, in charge, and has a long-term plan for us that extends beyond this life, and for which this earth is an important part, that we should respect, also because it is His beautiful creation and our home. Others will disagree, and we all will choose for ourselves. I hope that while we are choosing, we can treat each other and the earth with honesty, respect, and kindness. (thoughtful comments appreciated)

idiocrat 6y ago
This should be either His evil intent or His professional negligence that estimated 1.5 billion masks has entered the oceans in 2020. https://www.greenmatters.com/p/how-many-face-masks-ocean-2020 https://www.greenmatters.com/p/how-many-face-masks-ocean-202...
- lcall 6y ago
  You raise an interesting issue, and pollution is a concern to me also. In my beliefs, part of His plan is letting us exercise our agency (or ability to choose), for our experience/learning/growth, and to find or show what it is we really desire; and there are consequences. It is up to us to learn to make good choices, but He does not force us. There will be justice, and mercy to those who seek it, for whom I believe things really will be made OK in the end. (Our choices matter, and we live in a very imperfect world.) So, there are both big issues and opportunities for individual peace while we work on the issues, and even as we experience troubles (Edit: and our good efforts are all worthwhile, as this is neither the beginning nor end of our existence). It seems good to start with ourselves, and encourage others (that honesty/Golden Rule stuff). I hope that makes some sense, whether or not we agree on details. More is elsewhere.
  - idiocrat 6y ago
    > It is up to us to learn to make good choices, but He does not force us. If you are saying that you are solely responsible for your own actions, why then you need an inert Bystander? It is completely indifferent and you can choose any other Totem to run your thoughts by, or act in the Name of. You can choose Neutrinos, for example. They are truly abundant and omnipresent -- quazillions of Neutrinos are passing through your body each femtosecond. They are not forcing you to do anything (because they do not interact). They are just filling your body with their presence. You can talk to them and ask them for the Way, and they will share the same space with you to comfort you, as you know they are with you, but also leave you to your options. The Neutrinos are fully inert Bystanders.