Two days ago, I had a terrifying moment of clarity. I think clarity is the right word. What follows may seem silly, but I'm fairly certain that if people thought like this more often, the world might be a better place.
Most people, I believe, go through the day very glazed or uncomprehending of the world and even the universe around them. I fall into this as well nearly everyday. I think it has something to do with how much thinking power it would take to go on with existing if you were having to always fathom, say, the size of the Earth, distances between stars, how unbelievably cool trees are when they're alive and growing, or how many tons of asphalt make up the United States highway system. Things like that. Who thinks about those every single day? I don't, but sometimes it comes up, and it scares the crap out of me. Two days ago, I was looking at soda cans that we have at my work. We store them in the bathroom and they come in the 36 pack containers and what not and there were probably 8 or 9 containers there. Yes, that's 288 to 324 individual cans constructed of aluminum that very likely will not get recycled. Anyway, let me try to give you an analogy to describe what happened next.
It's like when you're on Google Maps and you're zoomed into your home address or what not. You can see the surrounding streets and that's it. It takes up the whole screen. All of sudden, somebody/thing comes along, takes your mouse wheel and scrolls back, zooming the image out, and out, and out until you're staring at the entire planet. "Well," you say "that's cool and all. What's the big deal?" The big deal comes from the fact that you're still cognizant of being that tiny person on that now minuscule street that you can't even see anymore. It's an incredible dichotomy of feeling. And that's as best I can describe it in so few words. That's what happened when I stared at these soda cans. How many businesses must there be in the US alone that have these many cans? Then the world? Then I thought about the manufacturing plants, spitting out all these cans! Where the hell (pardon me) do all these flippin' cans come from? How have we not run out before now? I'll admit, I freaked out a bit, but hopefully you can see why we don't think like this.
I like to think we block these thought processes because they would cause too much stress or, I don't know, positive action. This is not an environmental activist blog post, but I just want you to take a moment and really try to comprehend the finiteness of this planet. Go ahead...
...you there yet?...
...scary isn't it?
1 comment:
so are you going to recycle your cans now? i mean i'm no real activist either. i don't want to be an extremist in this area BUT at the same time, if i am capable to use tote bags at the grocery store and return plastic bags back to them rather then throw them away; i will. i don't seperate cans, plastic for money and glass (well i don't have cans seeing as how i don't drink soda only on rare occasion and always outside my home) but i set it aside and take it out to the recycle bin. because i'm capable! i'm now starting to seperate all those junk ads you get in the mail everyday. i haven't recycled all paper but you have to work yourself to these things. and there's always changing your lightbulbs for energy efficent ones BUT that's a whole other ballgame...
i never tell myself "i'm just one person, what effect can i have?" and just give up because if everyone told themselves that, well i think we would be a lot worse off.
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