An Anti-Climatic Ending

Let's leave the political orientations aside: climate change is real. Before it was merely global warming. Now it is much more. Kinda like before it was the Internet of Things, now it's the Internet of Everything.

In any event, much like my previous entry, I want you to watch the below video before I go further. 

Need I write anything? The above video is from Chasing Ice, a 2012 documentary that aims to prove the reality of climate change beyond reasonable doubt. After watching that video, anybody who needs more proof can be comfortably labeled beyond unreasonable without a doubt. Here's what Roger Ebert writes in his review:

"Did some of that melting ice later visit Manhattan in the form of Hurricane Sandy? Does melting ice cause a rising in the global sea level? Does the bathtub fill up when you turn on the tap?"

I am yet to watch Chasing Ice, but I have watched An Inconvenient Truth. That documentary was an eye-opener. How can anybody look at the images, graphs, and numbers presented in such endeavors and deny the basic truth: human beings are screwing the planet? Because of an unsettling mix of indulgence, ignorance, and arrogance, we are causing irreparable damage on a daily basis to the ecosystem we inhabit. 

2012 JEEP Grand Cherokee

Look, I like SUVs--and driving--and traveling--in general--as much as anybody. In fact, only this past summer, I was close to purchasing a JEEP Grand Cherokee. I really like that SUV. Ultimately, I didn't go through with it, and it was not because of environmental concerns. But now that I look back, what would have been the point? I am a single guy, I commute to and from work alone, how would having an SUV made my driving experience better? But what would definitely have happened is stopping at the gas station with higher frequency. 

The challenge is to not look at the debilitating impact we are having on the planet from a macro viewpoint. We have to look at it from a micro one. It doesn't matter what humankind is doing to save the planet. The real question is: what am I doing? Mahatma Gandhi has said we should be the change we want to see in the world. That is a big statement, but achievable nonetheless. I don't mean for this entry to be an exhortation on how we should live our lives. But today when I go to Chipotle and see all their packaging is recyclable, it is a good feeling.

Deepak Chopra wrote a call-to-action last year titled "A Critical Mass of Consciousness". He asked that if each of us were to do our little part toward the caretaking and preservation of this planet--our home--it would go a long way in nurturing and safeguarding its health and longevity. We are at risk of being complacent until something drastic occurs. Fair enough, as long as we become responsible and proactive after that drastic occurrence. That is the real test. But why wait? Beginning to exercise after suffering a heart attack is great, but wouldn't you rather exercise to prevent it at all?