After reading jamess's eloquent post on how humans have become their own destructive asteroid, it was too much coincidence for me to not take the opportunity to plug my own new Green Asteroid blog.
I have agreed with the basic premise of James's post for some time, that WE are now the game-changer in the evolution of life on the planet. And while life on the planet will surely survive in one form or another, we may be not be around to see it.
In my new blog I started just a couple of weeks ago, I attempt to put a positive spin on that idea -- that maybe, just maybe, there are enough good things happening in the way we approach the Earth philosophically, economically, personally, etc. that we can avert disaster. Essentially, change the killer asteroid into a green one.
Tonight's Fourth of July post is about how the soldiers of WWII and throughout American history should serve as an inspiration for our efforts to save the Earth for future generations of human life. I discuss my reaction to HBO's "The Pacific," a realistic portrayal of battles from the Pacific theater:
Throughout "The Pacific" I kept asking myself, "How?" How does a 19-year-old fresh on the beaches of Peleliu with mortar and machine gun fire tearing up his buddies right and left move toward the enemy fire? What makes a guy not only keep from being paralyzed from the sheer terror of battle, but actually think and save lives and push the enemy back? And what makes him not lose his mind and fight another battle another day?
The only answer I could up with was a sense of duty. And I describe how that sense of duty brought so many good things to our country and our world. I also explain how that same sense of duty needs to brought to bear to preserving the world's eco systems:
So what, you may be wondering, does this soliloquy have anything to do with the green revolution before us? It means that as much as we owe a thriving, bountiful planet to our children and grandchildren, we also owe those GIs a debt. And that’s to make this world a better place than the one they fought and died to bequeath us.
If you get a chance to read it, I hope you enjoy it. And happy Fourth of July to everyone.