I guess I have been pretty harsh on Christians of late, and for those of my readers who are Flat-Earthers, I think the Universe can use you, too, dear friend, even with all your flaws. It's not that The Universe gets some vague satisfaction by incorporating you into its scheme of things; it's just that depending on what we do, the human species might become less of a force in moving the Planet Earth towards more turbulent atmospheric patterns (a.k.a. global warming in some quarters), or --which is an acceptable substitution-- more of a force towards moving the Planet away from human activities that aggravate severe weather and warmer temperatures, thus giving the species an opportunity to get off the planet, and maybe do some exploring out there. Otherwise, of course, we are doomed to become extinct right here, which does not bother me personally, unless conditions become very difficult for us over the next decade or so.
Some folks (including me) believe that humans are warming up the planet. Let's call them the Humans are the Culprits camp, or HAC.
Other folk think that the planet is warming up, but humans have nothing to do with it, and it's just the Sunspots, or whatever--natural causes, anyway. Let's call them the No Blamers, or NB.
Another position you can take is that Humans help the warming, even if they're not entirely responsible. Let's call them the Humans are Not Exactly Innocent, but are Not the Primary Instigators Of Planetary Destruction Either group, call them NPI. I don't mind allying myself with this gang, but honestly, they may as well give it up and join the first group (HAC), for all the difference it makes.
Finally, there is a group that thinks: whoever or whatever causes planetary warming, Humans can make a difference, and slow the process down, thus enabling most of the residents of New Orleans to rebuild the residential parts of the city on stilts, before it is flooded once again next summer. (Don't blame me for being prescient. I'm just the messenger here.) Let's call this group, the Humans Can Help Reverse The Trend group, or HCHRT.
Why can't everybody join this last group? What philosophical objections can there possibly be to joining it, except that some people can't bear to deprive themselves of conspicuous energy consumption? Whether or not you subscribe to Al Gore's position, which is essentially HAC, we can all subscribe to his call for action. Suppose someone is killing all the cats in your town. Whether you believe that it is a person or a wild animal, you can certainly agree that perhaps temporarily it makes sense to keep the cats safe in the nights, or maybe spray them with skunk juice, to repel the killer, or whatever. It makes no sense to defer action until the exact culprit is determined. The amazing thing is that so many professional physicists belong to the NB group, and also to the Let's Not Do Anything To Moderate Planetary Temperature because It Does Not Need Fixing, or IDIOTS, for short.
I'm getting worked up, and one reason is probably that I haven't had supper yet. I had better take a snack. Anyway, that's all I have to say. TTYL, before it gets too warm around here.
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2 comments:
I'm joining HCPBSD (how can people be so dense), or maybe just the WTFs.
Joining the WTF's!!!! That's funny. I try to minimize my swearing, but it just strikes me as funny to see that particular abbreviation in an e-mail. The first time was about three years ago, and I laugh every time.
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