What would you be proud to pass on to your descendants, and society who will inherit this world, country, state or province, county or MRC, town, city, or municipality?
Let’s be honest. In the past, not every leader has been looking very far ahead. When we look back, we will quickly notice that greed and control have too often been fundamental to many decisions, and different religions and languages have been used as an excuse. We, the public, have chosen our leaders. Apathy and not bothering to think about our future or taking time to vote must always be remembered. I have mentioned before that we should take a close look back before making any decision that could affect our future, sometimes for generations to come. My smartest mentors have said, “in a crisis situation, go to the top first”.
From the moment the world began, and people are still arguing about that, someone or thing a lot more powerful than us had a lot to do with it. From the beginning of our existence, clean air, non-polluted water, and safe food have been of paramount importance to our future. Protection from the elements like clothing and shelter have made life more enjoyable. Learning to work together with friends, invent and use tools, and plan ahead for surviving different weather and hardship helped mankind get through attacks by wild animals, enemies, and weather conditions. Most early conflicts were caused by drought or flood, and war parties would either steal food or attack the abundant country to control its food. For the last few decades, the areas of the world with the largest oil reserves have been the richest and became the target of other countries who covet their oil reserves.
We are fast approaching a time when countries with abundant clean water and conditions for abundant crop growth will become the most coveted countries. As our climate becomes hotter and drier, and we resist stopping and reversing climate change, we will witness a new reason for war. When COVID-19 forced us to cut back on fossil fuel use by drastically reducing automobile, truck, and airplane use, we witnessed our air quality improve greatly and even the hole in the ozone healed up. Recent unprecedented increase in wildfires, floods, and other more severe weather events have us wondering about the severity of climate change.
Any old farmer will tell you that an increase in heat units, which is a way of determining which varieties of corn can successfully mature in an area, now allows Pontiac County farmers to grow grain corn and soybeans successfully where our parents and grandparents didn’t even dream of planting those crops.
There are still a few environmentalists who blame cows who burp and fart dangerous gasses which destroy our clean air. They need to be reminded that mammals have been on this Earth for thousands of years and still are, but when the planes were grounded and automobile traffic slowed down, air quality miraculously improved. As the ice caps melt at both ends of our world, the oceans gradually rise and threaten all shorelines and buildings close to the seas.
Yes, I’ve flown to many places to check out new technology, but there are thousands of beautiful places to visit and vacation very close to home. Eventually, tele-transport will eliminate the need for other modes of transportation. But that’s in the future, if we can keep this old world alive until then. What kind of a world do YOU really want to pass on?
