What hope is left?
I was feeling very down last night. I don’t get that way very often. But everything felt hopeless. I watched the forest in Indonesia burning. Nobody mentioned the creatures being fired in the heat. They were clearing more forest for farming. The slash and burn policy provided fertility for a year or two and then the thin soil is useless. The forest is being systematically destroyed. The creatures incinerated. Behind them the land is barren and the soil is washed away. It is so short term, so stupid.
In one week they produced more carbon dioxide than released by the whole of Germany in a year.
Global warming? Controlling our carbon output? The destruction of the world’s habitats? The cruel slaughter of wild animals?
It all felt totally hopeless.
As a species we are insane.
We give out the gasses that destroy. We burn. We breathe. We fart.
We exhale words that are dangerous. We speak of growth, economic success and wealth when we should be talking about the future.
We exude gasses that destroy: our words and our conflagrations are as rancid as our farts.
The gas we pass through our vocal chords is meaningless.
What hope is left?
What hope have we left?
What purpose
Can we hew
From the rocks of desperation?
No simple direction
Left to us.
No solutions to crack
With our perspiration.
Between the madmen
And the masses,
We live lucky lives
On the periphery,
Releasing our gasses
Obliviously.
Opher 30.10.2015
I in my own little way protest in the faint hope that some passing by will take note. Unfortunately, we are in a society of “me, me, me” I get so angry when I see trees cut down when animals are murdered. It is like banging your head against walls.
sometimes it gets to me. I see a programme or read something that sparks my horror. I love plants and animals. I love nature and wilderness. It sends me into despair when I see the wanton destruction and thoughtless cruelty – and most people do not even care.
My God you are so right, most people do not care. I shout, I put my posters up but how many who see them really care. They are too busy waiting for “Bake off” and other mindless programmes to appear on their tv.
I know. The programme today was about the population growth in the UK and all anyone wanted to blather on about was immigration and the economy. The big picture went over their heads!
Well said.
Sad isn’t it? Doesn’t fill you with much hope. Most people live on trivia and self-interest.
It’s awful. It hurts me every day. I have to believe in miracles. Otherwise depression overtakes me. I see the animals and trees as my brothers and sisters. Big mass consciousness change. I don’ t know how it will happen, but it has to or we die, which would not be a bad thing.
I get so angry. I have these conversations with people who say things like – ‘There’s no point in worrying about it. You can’t do anything about it’. They seem to shut their minds off and just go on as if nothing is going on. But it is. If everyone would start kicking up a fuss something wouyld be done!
It is discouraging. I’ve been kicking up a fuss for years. Fortunately I am around like minded people and we do what we can to heal where we can. My husband and I do riparian restoration so we are around people who actually do the work all the time. We are going to a conference in 2 weeks where people from all over the world will be sharing what they have done in terms of healing land. When people say you can’t do anything about big business, the only thing is a huge revolution which hopefully will happen, and I would support it. In the meantime all I can do is change the world within my reach, which is signing petitions, doing the work on the ground, recycling, loving the earth, writing about it, etc. It is hard to find a balance between productive energy and just feeling overwhelmed, helpless, hopeless and depressed.
I vacillate from one to the other. Sometimes I feel we are making progress and then a see a programme about the decimation of rainforests, plight of wild-life or shark fin soup and I am thrown back into despondency.
I am so glad that there are people like you actively out there doing things. Good on you!
Thanks Opher. I went through a time of being so angry all the time about all of it, and then I figured I’m just contributing to the negative energy. Do you remember the Jackson Browne song Before the Deluge? The verse about how we tried to protect Her from those who forged Her Beauty into power…”only to be confused by the magnitude of the fury in the final hour” It is just so big – the corporate machine who cares nothing for Her. And the people who are just trying to make a living and don’t know what they are doing and don’t care because they need the next meal for their family. I have really come back to the power of Love. I really think it is the strongest thing we have going for us. I don’t mean small cap love. I mean capital letter LOVE. I don’t know how it will all come down, but like I said before, I have to believe in miracles. I do think more people are waking up. It just seems too slow. I am at a loss. I want to scream at the top of my lungs, ring loud bells, shout from the rooftops, beat up Monsanto and big beef industry. I’m so small…
Yes I remember that Jackson Browne song. Takes me back.
We have to have belief that we can change it. Ants are small yet working together they get the job done.
I believe we all contribute to the Zeigeist. We have to make one that is positive, empowering and compassionate. It’s possible!
We set the agenda! There are millions like us!
Keep on truckin’.
Yes!!! Keep on truckin’, and there ARE millions like us!
I think it was Jerry Rubin who said ‘History will prove us right! We know because we will be writing that history’. I always liked that!