What are the odds?
4.21.2024
The Dems of Davidson voter registration team had a great time at the Farmer’s Market on Saturday, registering voters, updating registrations, having conversations, and best of all, running an important election among voters under age twelve about their preferred vegetable. The winner was eggplant! Actually, not really; corn came in first, followed by carrots. Dolphins and apples also received high marks from the 58 voters. It was a brilliant way to commemorate Earth Day, which falls on April 22.
Given all the political shenanigans, along with terrible human suffering in Gaza, the invasion of Ukraine, natural disasters, etc., it’s sometimes easy to forget that the larger stage on which all these dramas unfold, namely, Planet Earth, is itself in grave danger from human-caused global warming, pollution, micro-plastics, etc. Sustained reflection on the damage already done and the difficulty of finding solutions leaves us with heavy hearts and minds. The Climate Change report from 2023 reports that “one in ten Americans report experiencing symptoms of anxiety or depression because of global warming for several or more days out of the last two weeks.”
If you find yourself overwhelmed by discouraging thoughts on these subjects, you may derive consolation from this article, “Climate Doom is Out; Apocalyptic Optimism is In.” It’s easy to be pessimistic about our ecological future, just as it is possible to be discouraged about our political future But the truth is that even if we are on an irreversible downward spiral, marinating in hopeless sauce—which the article calls “doomerism”—is bad for one’s attitude, for the country, and for the planet. That’s because we simply cannot be sure what version of the future is yet to unfold.
There can be little doubt that human behaviors have altered our planetary future, but how and to what degree remains to be seen. We can’t say for sure, but it may be possible to alter our course. And since it may be possible, we should exert ourselves to the utmost to achieve the best possible outcome, even if the result is not assured. We don’t know and can’t know for sure that our actions won’t have a good effect.
The same goes for political work. It’s easy to become discouraged in the face of impossibly reactionary behavior from the extreme right wing. And yet, it cannot be proven that energetic action on our part won’t make a decisive difference. We can’t be sure that it will, but neither can we we be sure that it won’t! Success is not guaranteed, but neither is it precluded. We never know for sure what might happen, and therefore, we should always be leaning on the positive side.
Would we have known, twenty-four hours ago, what action Speaker Mike Johnson would have taken on aid to Ukraine? Thank heavens for that. I think we’ll all be happy to see Rep. Johnson become House Minority Leader, but at this moment in time, he did the right thing.
Finally, to those who celebrate, our best wishes for a meaningful and reflective Passover week.
Greg