One of the luxuries of being semi-retired is having the time to sort out closets, boxes of keepsakes, old paperwork and other accumulations of life that get set aside for "when I can get to it." That's what I spent some time doing over the past few days -- and it was quite illuminating.
In a box of cards, photos, paperwork and assorted other items I thought would be good to keep for "some day" I came across several letters-to-the-editor of various local newspapers of the towns I've lived in during my adult life. Apparently I've long been a blogger -- just one without a platform, until now.
I've expressed my opinion to an invisible audience on topics ranging from the right to die to elitist attitudes regarding charter schools to negativty about single-parent families. While many who know me might think I'm relatively easy going, I have a tendency to speak up quickly and publicly when I think there is a wrong that needs to be righted. In fact, this tendency even harks back to my early teen years, when I wrote a diatribe about how adults need to earn respect, not command it -- which undoubtedly was inspired by an incident with my alcoholic father.
Among my finds this week was a very timely piece I wrote almost 20 years ago to the day about the state of our nation -- assessed by me shortly after Bill Clinton was elected to the presidency. Given that we are on the precipice of another potential shift in our whimsical way of running this capitalistic democracy we live in -- that has no patience for the time it takes to truly implement change nor the fortitude to sustain success when we achieve it (no matter what you think of Clinton as a person, he undeniably led our country out of the darkness of excessive exploitation to benefit the wealthy into a period of unparalleled fiscal and social health, which was quickly undone by the subsequent administration), I thought it might be good to reflect on our 20-year progress by looking back on a 20 year-old opinion. And that has got to be the longest run on sentence I have ever written!
Here is my piece from 20 years ago.
“This is the beginning of a new era. The problems
our nation and the world face today have been a long time in the developing,
but we are reaching a critical point in being able to either ‘turn things
around’ or instead begin our painful slide down the chute to inescapable doom
and destruction – economically, environmentally, socially and spiritually.
Since the outcome of our recent presidential election, there is a renewed
feeling of hope among so many of us, a feeling that I don’t remember having had
at any other time (I was in elementary school when JFK was elected). There is a
great deal of emotion associated with this hopefulness, as has been expressed
in the thousands upon thousands of letters addressed to President-elect
Clinton, which are arriving in Little Rock every day. Perhaps this overwhelming
expression of emotion exists because we do feel ourselves to be on the pivotal
edge of ‘make it or break it’.
No doubt among many others of us there is fear and
trepidation. It has been pointed out more than once that Bill Clinton did not
win a clear majority of the popular vote. It is to the fearful and skeptical
that I address the next portion of this letter, most vehemently on the issue of
environmentalism, which is inextricably linked with the issue of economic
recovery. In our time, as in no other, we must be farsighted and far-reaching
in our environmental/economic policy, unless we want to abandon future
generations to extinction. We need not look into the distant future to see
those whom we will abandon. If you are of my generation and blessed to have
them, as I am, just look at your grandchildren’s faces. If we do not make
tremendous and concerted effort for reform now, they will never know
grandchildren.
The pacific northwest economy has long been
timber-dependent. There are other areas of the country that are dependent on
industries that are and will be impacted by environmental legislation. This
type of legislation certainly means stopping things we have done for many
years, such as indiscriminate clear-cutting. A logging truck driver, for
example, will understandably feel threatened by these regulations. But if you
can drive a truck to haul logs, you can drive a truck to haul recyclable goods
to a recycling plant. If you operate a piece of equipment that processes logs,
you can operate a piece of equipment that combines garbage with concrete to
create new building materials (a technology that currently exists in Europe).
Everyone from engineer to mechanic to secretary to janitor to corporate
executive can utilize skills they now possess in new types of industries that
are compatible with and supportive of both environmental and economic health.
Of course, there will be difficulties involved in re-training, re-tooling of
equipment and in interim periods of unemployment. But we have those problems
now. What we need are solutions that are long term, not quick fixes.
Finally, and this is addressed to everyone, each
person can make a difference. If you don’t recycle, start. If your community
does not offer a recycling program, lobby for one. Vote. It’s one of the most
powerful and influential things you can do. Involve yourself in your community
and work with others to make beneficial changes to our society. The power
ultimately lies with the people, as was so dramatically illustrated on November
3rd. We are all responsible for the state of our nation. Regardless
of political affiliation, we must all join together to make ours a better life
and to guarantee the same life to the children of the future.
Understand that human beings are an endangered
species. The extinction, by human hands, of so many other creatures of the
world is merely a precursor to our own extinction if we don’t act now.”
Twenty years is a long time. Over that time, we’ve made great strides in the area of environmentalism. And we have more strides to make. We now have another threat to our survival -- terrorism. We have to fear each other. That’s a sad state of affairs. We’re a little afraid of Mother Nature too, and rightfully so. But I wonder if in abusing Mother Nature in the past we have brought this upon ourselves.
What I do know is the same now as it was 20 years ago is personal responsibility. No one of us can change the world, but we can each make a difference within our small sphere. If all us butterflies flap our wings in one direction, there’s bound to be an impact.
Vote.
