PS: We're all going to die

Posted by Katharine Wroth at 12:35 PM on 09 Mar 2005

The latest science news, nicely coinciding with the belching of Mount St. Helens: some time, not sure when, an extra-giganto-huge volcano is going to erupt and kill a buncha people. Might be in Yellowstone, which is 40,000 years overdue for a super explosion and has inspired a BBC docudrama (check out the still of a pick-up truck fleeing the scene). Or might be somewhere else around the world. Might be tomorrow. Or might be thousands of years from now. But whenever it happens, it's going to be ugly. And, scientists say, there ain't nothin' we can do about it.

Is it any wonder people (and when I say "people," I mean me) bury their heads? The planet is scary, the experts who talk about it are scary, and we are helpless.

OK, well, got to get back to writing silly headlines.

For story: PS: We're all going to die
4 Comments | Post a Comment

oh crap!

I hope this doesn't happen before I get raptured...

by hardisun at 3:26 PM on 09 Mar 2005

What Is Life?

To say things like "[t]he planet is scary, the experts who talk about it are scary, and we are helpless" is to completely miss the point of being alive. We all live one lifetime. What we do with out lives is exponentially more important than how long we live. The purpose of life is to experience things, not to worry about our inevitable death. Sounds like Katharine has had far too much religion!

Instead of such a negative attitude, experience and enjoy as much as possible. Our experiences are all added to the universal consciousness, or god, or whatever you want to call it. :)

Jeff Hoffman

by jdhlax at 3:48 PM on 09 Mar 2005

Uh ...

Thanks. I knew I was missing something.

Actually, I meant that comment as a critique (albeit an indirect, subtle one) of how the environmental movement gets its messages out. We tell people huge, scary things, and then wonder why they don't feel inspired and motivated.

by Katharine Wroth at 4:47 PM on 09 Mar 2005

good analogy

At first I thought that, as analogies go, this came up a bit short if the intent was to show the effect of environmental movement messages. After thinking about it, it's actually dead-on.

Consider today's news where Bush came out yet again in favor of re-introducing the Anwar oil development bill (evidently the neocons think it will work this time; it really feels like we've been stuck in a 3-card monte game for a few years). Yes, I will contribute and email and phone to try to prevent this, but deep down, I might as well be using my voice to yell "STOP" to a super eruption.

Before the internet, didn't we suceed more by doing rather than by carping? United we stand if we are standing united, and on the internet we're just a bunch of anonymous dogs howling at the moon. It's time to show our conviction and strength of numbers in a environmental protest march on Washington.

by hardisun at 10:20 AM on 10 Mar 2005

ADVERTISING POLICY

You are not logged in. Thus, you cannot post a comment. If you have an account, log in. If you don't have an account, well, by all means go make one! Meet you back here in five.