Are we worrying about the right things?
Yes, the economy is bad. We need jobs. But, believe it or not, there is something worse than no jobs. Consider having no water for example. If there’s no available water, literally no water, all the money in the world will do us no good. Severe drought, melting mountain-icecaps, retreating glaciers, extreme weather patterns, global warming; are we really doing all we can to understand, let alone prevent, the human-factor from making things worse?
As an ordinary citizen, not a scientist, my observation is that something is wrong and things are not as they used to be. My second observation is that, for years, honest-to-goodness, ordinary and well-meaning scientists have been trying to warn us: we’ve got to do something about global warming—at least make an attempt to reduce the human-factor in the global-warming equation. However, as far as I can tell, there are certain powers (that stand to lose a lot of money and clout, if we actually took global-warming seriously enough to make a concerted effort at changing our lifestyle because of it) that continue to obstruct this message.
Take the way that our own state of Pennsylvania has handled the Marcellus Shale gas/oil deposits. Instead of moving slowly and carefully, instead of beginning with a priority of preserving fresh clean water wells, and giving first priority to protecting nature, land, and livestock, the priority was money and profit for oil-companies in the name of so-called job growth. I predict that this misplaced priority will come back to haunt us in the long run. Isn’t it becoming all too obvious even for the most casual observer that our next series of international wars will not be over oil but over such basics as available fresh-water and food?
Yes, I know we need jobs. But we are being way too short-sighted by reducing all decisions to the question of immediate profit (for certain industries, such as the oil-industry) in the name of job-growth. Politicians, profiteering companies, and profiting land-owners who have gladly and willingly sold access-rights, and apathetic on-lookers, we’re all guilty. Call me Chicken Little, but I say we are literally destroying our world—while a few are laughing all the way to the bank.
For the sake of immediate gain and eager profiteering, we continue to make things worse with regard to earth’s ability to produce the basic necessities of life—clean drinking water, healthy food-crops, and livable land. In short, around the world we humans are raping Mother Nature. For example, China has some of the worst polluted land in the world, which is a direct result of their turbo-charged attempt to become a global economic power equal to that of the U.S. Economically, they are indeed succeeding in doing so. But at what cost have they succeeded—to their land, their people, and their natural resources—air, water, animal and plant life?
When the earth can no longer sustain what we humans demand of it, what then? Yet we refuse to think that there can be, or will be, any severe repercussions to our raping of Mother Nature.
So be it. But consider this: Jesus actually warned us that these things would happen in the “Last Days.” Here’s what Jesus said: “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom.” Why, could it be because of the need for fresh-water and basic food necessities? Note Jesus’ next line: “There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the beginning of the birthpangs.” [See Matthew 24:4-8.] Jesus also said this: “For at that time there will be great suffering, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.” [See Matthew 24:21.] Jesus knew. He knew that we humans would trash this world and make it next to impossible to live on. He also knew that there would be much change in the world’s climate pattern—many earthquakes and famine. And all this is only the beginning of the end.
Am I being too negative, doom and gloom? Well, look at us. I mean, seriously, look at the news every night and ask yourself: In just this one issue alone—regarding the handling of earth’s resources—as a whole, globally, internationally, as well as nationally and locally, are we really heading in the right direction; are we really doing what’s necessary to fix what’s going wrong with our water, soil, air, and land usage? If we’re honest, I’d suspect we’d have to say no, we are not. We’re too splintered, special-interest-oriented, blinded by our own immediate wants and needs. Watch and wait. Is it too extraordinary to think that the day will come when either we or our children or our children’s children will have to say, “We’ve blown it; we have a mess that we cannot buy, work, or pay our way out of.” What then, the apocalypse?
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