The Tiresome Term Tip-off for today is Green. Now I am all about being globally aware. We all need to be. But there are two things wrong with this…one is the term itself. It is bandied around so much that everything is Green…even if it isn't. Just like when blogged about organic…if something has even the slightest hint of being "green" then it is proclaimed loud and proud of its status.
But you know what? Because of this, we have go ne to the other extreme. We have gone from being totally unaware, to being too aware. We have lost balance again…actually did we ever have it? No…we did not. We are not going to save the Earth with the spastic attempts we are doing…and what we are doing is killing it with being too aware now.
What?
I am serious. Let's look at it this way.
Taking in the Christmas season. Normally we have all of the trees being bought, right? I’m talking about the trees that are bought from tree farms, from places that purposely grow trees for the sole purpose of commercially selling them for profit and about the trees that are cut down to keep the forests healthy. And yes, we do need to cut trees down to keep them healthy, I will go into that in a minute before you start screaming at me for that comment.
These trees that are cut down to keep the forests healthy, specifically in the Washington and Oregon areas are not being bought now, both from the farms and from the logging…here is a report from the tree farm angle: http://bit.ly/8dabki (though it talks more about how he is having to disfigure his trees to get them sold to avoid burning his, but he does mention the ones that are burning theirs. No tree lots have placed orders. No one intends for them to be sold. So what are they going to do with them? No one is intending to use them for enjoyment for the holiday season. So these poor trees, because there is nowhere else for them to go…they are not fit for any other purpose, they are naturally grown, not from farms…are being burned. Yes, burned. Because no one wants them, because everyone is too conscientious of the impact of deforestation. These trees are being burned. Instead of being put to a better use, where they might have some enjoyment for a little while. It is very sad.
So here comes the question. If they are just going to burn them--and they are not going to be used for Christmas trees--why are they even cutting them down at all?
That's the crux of the matter isn't it? The environmentalists would have you think that these trees shouldn't have to be cut down. Well, they do have to be.
Ponder this. These trees in particular grow in abundance. They grow pretty radically. We, as a people have pretty much cut out forest fires. If they do occur, we put them out pretty rapidly. Forest fires are nature's way of keeping the Earth fertile and renewed as well as keeping control of the trees and other plants. Yet we have pretty much eradicated that. Sure, we do controlled burns occasionally, and sometimes they get out of control. But how often do we really do that?
So, these trees have no natural forest fires to keep them under control, and no controlled burns to keep them under control either.
So the next weapon in Mother Nature's arsenal are bugs. The problem with bugs is they don't settle to one kind of tree or plant and it affects other areas of the vegetation and wildlife, even if not directly by the bugs themselves. That creates a whole new problem. So, now we don't have the fires, and now we do have bugs. These poor trees.
The next problem is this. Us!
We are encroaching on them. Not the other way around. Yet we state that the trees are coming onto our land, and so we demand that the trees be controlled. Sound familiar? So, we cut them down…we cut them down to keep our properties clear, we cut them down to create more property for us.
Now you are saying, but that is the whole point of trying to save the trees, that is why we don't want to buy any live trees anymore and why we are trying to save the forests!
Well, that is all well and good for the forests that need saving. For the things that need help. But this is the crux of the matter. We are not determining our battles. We see a problem and we rush head first without further research. We see something is wrong, then we run around like Chicken Little yelling "We need to be 'green!' we need to be 'green!' but do we really know what we need to be Green on anymore?
Honestly, I don't. Let's see…our landfills are getting full. Our oceans are becoming trash dumps. And the rainforests are in trouble . hmm our polar icecaps are melting and our ozone layer is dying. Not to mention global warming. Other than that…what are the other big matters? Can you honestly say you can count…oh I am sure some of you can. but out of these main points, what can we honestly change…within our, our children or our children's-children's lifetime's? the trash dumps. Maybe the rainforests and part of the ocean. The icecaps are from the global warming. So is the ozone layer. But the global warming…hell no. and while I am a big believer in it…I also know this…we are not the cause of it. I am serious. This is not the first time global warming has happened, and I have been saying this for many years, not before the American Government started saying this, but this is not the first time global warming has happened. It happened once during the dinosaurs, it has happened during each of the major ice ages. How many of those have we as humans, especially as thinking man, have we been around for? We have contributed, but we are not the cause. And we cannot fix it. The Earth will renew herself, just as she has in the past. And I will blog about my thoughts on 2012 in a few days.
So, back to "Green." How does this all relate? Easy. Just as we can kill from neglect, we can kill from over concern. Which direction do you think we are leaning now? Let's see…carbon footprinting, organic, green. These are bandied around every day. If these are our everyday vocabulary words now, what do you think or everyday actions are? And I am not talking of Joe Schmoe. I am talking of collectively. Actually, I am talking about both, because both affect just as much as they do independently.
I am not saying Do not be globally aware! Do not go organic! Do not go Green!...oh hell no. What I am saying is *find your balance!* you don't need to be a sloth, and you don't need to be a freak. Just be conscious of your actions, but don't go overboard. For the sake of whatever deity you follow, be it the Christian God or no god…find balance. If you care for this Earth at all, don't be a spazz.
I promise that unless the sun fails or a meteor hits, or you die tonight--the Earth will still be here tomorrow…ok, I can't promise that, but you get the idea.
**None of these topics are meant to be aimed at anyone in particular. Some of them may touch a nerve, and I am sorry if they do, but these are my views. I am even guilty of using some of these and am trying to improve myself in regards to them. Besides, if we can’t laugh at some of the words/phrases we use, then this world is indeed too sad a place to be.**
**disclaimer: writer I am, writer I will always be. But spelling I never claimed to own. There will always be spelling errors, even with the aid of spell checkers. Unless I employ 20 proof-readers, and if I do that, you will never get to see these blogs…so, guess you will have to put up with the spelling errors….or do what I do. Blame it on the Typo-Fae and say the spelling errors occurred en-route ;-)**
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