Yesterday, Southern Ontario saw some pretty wild weather, with winds reaching 110 km per hour. Power outages were widespread, trees were felled at an alarming rate, Pearson Airport had to shut down, and at least two people lost their lives. I have not yet checked my roof for damage.
Meanwhile, in New Brunswick, flooding continues.
I do wonder, as these events become increasingly frequent, and it dawns on even the dimmest among us that we are screwed, how people will react. Will some continue to party like there is no tomorrow? (In that, their predictive capacity will likely be proven right.) Will others fall on their knees, seeking a deus ex machina deliverance from their tribulations? Will some get angry and ask why no one did anything to prevent this? Or will some look in the mirror and see a rueful but knowing image staring back at them?
I fear that far too soon, we will know the answers.
In answer to your headline question .......... Yes, as for the rest as you say we will soon (but how soon?) know!
ReplyDeleteWill we enter an era of remorse? Did the Easter Islanders go through something like that when they realized they had felled every tree and there would be no more? Our species is highly adaptive, perhaps too much so. We, or at least some of us, might manage to cope with dystopia. It's hard to imagine that being high-minded or egalitarian. We might break into two camps - the vast majority, the expendables, and the privileged elite, the Higher Purpose Persons for whose benefit and enjoyment whatever remains worthy of being hoarded is preserved.
ReplyDeleteBecause we had to be out yesterday during some of the worst of it, Rural and Mound, I couldn't help but think of those in their fortress-like mansions (if you will forgive the stereotype) feeling little at this spectacle of nature's power. They know what is already here and what is coming, but they just don't seem to care.
DeleteHow long can we ignore the obvious?
ReplyDeleteFor some, the answer seems to be forever, Owen.
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