3 ms·
As sad as these things are... one needs to also accept, that as capable as we are of changing our environments, from transportation, to air conditioning, we do
by tracker1 6mo ago
As sad as these things are... one needs to also accept, that as capable as we are of changing our environments, from transportation, to air conditioning, we do not control all the things. We have and continue to over-fish in a lot of places, and I have deep concerns over farmed fish and the impact of less than natural foods on our own health.
A lot of the changes to the waters is well outside human control... there's a huge balance of factors at play from the earth, moon and sun. We don't control these things... and to what impact we can/do, I'm not sure that anything we might do may not have unintended consequences that are materially worse.
We can definitely do some things, but the level of internalized and externalized guilt that people in and outside these discussions seem to carry and put on others isn't at all healthy in and of itself.
- Timon3 6mo agoOf course this is inside human control - we are directly responsible for what's happening! Unless you're one of the people who are willingly putting their head in the sand, I don't understand how it makes sense to act like this is still in question.
- tracker1 6mo agoOkay, you're responsible... why haven't you stopped it?
- Timon3 6mo agoI'm not sure if you thought this would come across as clever, or whatever else - but feel free to try again with an actual response to my point.
- tracker1 6mo agoWhy should I, you completely missed mine... in that "guilt" is not appropriate or healthy here... you are not personally, directly responsible. That isn't to say that nothing can be done, but guilt serves nobody. We seem to have a couple generations with literally toxic levels of guilt in so many ways that is completely unhealthy.
- great_tankard 6mo agoThis is a really strange, deterministic view on something we collectively have influence over. That thing about "unintended consequences that [may be] materially worse?" We've actually just quietly folded the materially worse consequences of our behavior into the cost of doing business. Hurricanes are stronger, flooding is worse in coastal cities, fires are worse in arid areas. Fish don't magically make mercury; a significant portion of that comes from burning coal and mining activities. All of these things are firmly within our control.
- leptons 6mo agoThey aren't in "our" control, they are in the control of the very wealthy, who will not let the thought of natural disaster and mass extinctions affect their bottom line until there's no resource left for them to exploit.
- tracker1 6mo agoSo, do you propose we kill off a significant portion of humanity by lottery, war, or some other method of selection? Do we just stop all industry and let nature work itself out instead? You're in control after all. edit: sarcasm aside... my entire point is that the guilt itself isn't healthy and does no good for anyone. Yes, there are things that can probably be done, but alarmism, blame and guilt cycles do nothing to help anyone.