I know it’s probably not the best idea to get too political with these blog posts, but I think it’s safe to say – taking into consideration the apparent political climate of the classroom – that I was disheartened by Tuesday’s results. Now you may find it odd coming from a history and philosophy double-major to hear that above all else, I look for environmentalism in candidates. Well-fare, the 2nd amendment, international relations (with perhaps an exception where nuclear warheads are concerned) are issues that are largely transitory, and, while significant in a historic timeframe, are insignificant when considering the age and geologic timeframe of the earth.
You’ve heard me compare geologic and historic time before, but this time I’ll focus on the implications of environmentalism or the lack thereof. What it all boils down to is this. Think of human history as a collection of books (which shouldn’t be too hard to do). Now “history” (when applied to human histories) is just a written or oral record, so history is reliant upon civilization. So many – including myself – think of human history as beginning around 6,000 years ago when the first recorded civilization emerged in what was called Sumer. Now our collection of books has its first bookend. That bookend is set at the beginning of history/civilization. But it is up to us, the heirs of the civilizations of the four “Great River Valleys” to determine how many more books will have the chance to be added to the story of civilization and where the final bookend will be placed. This, I believe, is the fundamental core of environmentalism. It’s protection of the human race and human history which concerns me. Think of it this way. You want to live healthy. You want to be free of aches and pains, sickness and disease. You want to live comfortably for as long as possible. So what do you do? You eat healthy. Civilization (it doesn’t feel it yet because it is young) will someday become truly concerned with it’s diet. But what is the equivalent to “diet” for a civilization? The air. The trees. The seas. The gardens and flowers. The foxes and bears. The deer and the birds. Nature, as we understand it, is essentially the salad (for lack of a better stereotypical “health” food) of civilization. It is essential for the prolonged health of civilization. With out it lifespans would be shortened, arable regions shrunken, and life would be less beautiful and less inspiring. The natural beauty of the world is what made us what we are today, and we rely upon it to become what we want to be tomorrow. I only hope the rocket will never need become a lifeboat for our nearsighted species. But if it comes to that, I also hope we do not delay in using it as one. Human history, philosophy and art are so important to me, and I hope they are important to you too, that I think a respect for the humanities necessitates a deep concern for future generations and doing all that can be done to ensure that the final bookend of human civilization is placed as far from today as possible.