OBAMA! Right? Actually, I’m not so sure. We are always surrounded by so much hype that it’s become increasingly hard for me to differentiate what is actually important to me from what I am storing for future “ah-ha”’s and tittering at cocktail parties.
In my first editorial, I touched on a sense of pessimism that has seemed to permeate our generation. I think that’s what I am talking about. When we hear stories about the apparent meaninglessness of democracy in America, when we hear about the upcoming closure of important ecological research sites such as the ELA, when we realize that Imperialist movement seems to be marching forward under new management, when we learn that our university degrees seem to be leading to either intense competition for unpaid positions, or throwing the dice again with a post-graduate degree…
Well, anyways, it becomes hard to focus on what’s happening right in front of us; the actions we actually have control over and the simple pleasures of our lives. We become disempowered and, gradually, apathetic. I don’t have any control over American politics. I’m not sure who does, or if anyone does, but I definitely don’t. Does this make me insignificant? Does it make you insignificant too? I do have some amount of control over what I choose to do today, who I choose to interact with, and what preparations I will make for tomorrow. Doesn’t that count for something?
I had the opportunity to listen to writer Anthony P. Gulston interview renowned Canadian anthropologist and ethnobotanist Wade Davis this week (look for it in the next issue). He will be visiting Peterborough to speak at a KWIC sponsored event on November 23 at PCVS. Wade thought that a good way to spend our time might be to literally chain ourselves to the things that threaten to destroy our world. He’s not the first person to suggest this sort of action.
It’s a little thing that can make a big difference, and all it takes is caring about your home and the people around you more than yourself. I don’t know if I have that sort of dedication and that makes me feel like a bit of an asshole.
So where do we go from here? The problem seems simple enough: people want money and people want power. Power and money seem to stand in direct opposition to things like peace and clean water. What’s the answer? You’re the smart ones , you tell me. Thanks for reading. See you next week.
