Facing a dying nation Of moving paper fantasies

People are always writing disparities, agonizing on the state of the world. I see their words, assembled into loose personages, kneeling, their hands stretched out, trying to grasp at something, save something, that they feel they cannot. But really, perhaps you can.

Perhaps, as we live and move, as our brains whir about in our tiny brains that are so complicated when we magnify each particle, but are so simple when zoomed out and compared to things like the theory of Evolution, perhaps we are making a change. I think that to protest, to speak out and bring to light the shortcomings of the world, is really only half the battle. Now that people see  them, we must begin to right them.

I recently read an article in Make magazine, that talked about a man who was doing just that, trying to save the world. His plan was to feed phytoplankton (the lowliest form on the food chain, which krill then eats, which whales eat, or fish eat, which sharks and we then eat, etc.) iron oxide, which caused them to 'bloom', or prosper, grow. And for every iron atom phytoplankton consumes, it absorbs 100,000 carbon atoms from the atmosphere. That means that if you feed them this food, then they get rid of the co2 in the air, what is causing (in part) global warming. 1 ton of iron can fix 367,000 tons of co2. 

So why not do this? Why not let him get started, throwing around iron atoms to these miracles makers? Well, because people won't let him. People in companies who get ahold of the government, etc., who don't want him too for silly reasons. And most of those reasons are masked behind one real cause: This way to fix the environment would cost about $8 billion, while they believe that other ways would cost upwards $400 billion. And these companies are angry, because they would be getting some of that money to save the environment, but with this man relatively cheaply cleaning up the environment, they get no money. So, yes, these greedy people are endangering life as we know it for not just our species but the whole world--because they want some little green colored slips of paper. 

But if there are enough of us whose heads are filled with spinning whirligigs, who like to imagine what if... then perhaps we can do something yet. Per

haps there will be more of us than them, and we can rise, we can live and learn and teach and help and grow and thrive. 

And isn't it, as I am always saying, the point of life to be happy? Not in a short term sense, and not in a singular sense, either. But to be happy yourself, and to be able to try, at least, to make sure that those around you, and those yet unborn, will be happy too. I mean, really, what good is living, day in, day out, trudging to a job you hate, coming home to a house--either alone or with people who are not being who you want--unhappy? What is the reason? And you may say "Because I need to make money." Why? So that you can retire, and live an unhappy life then, too? For, in my experience, unhappiness the whole life just leads to more unhappiness later on. So why not start now by stopping such unhappiness, if only to be happy for an indefinite period in the indefinite future, and start now? 

You say life clings in balance, that it all must get done or it will fall apart, but why not just get rid of the whole system? Do that and the web of unspoken rules, that precious balance, is gone, and you break free, to do as you choose, and to make yourself happy and set an example for others. It's not about money or power; the most powerful, richest person out there may be and most probably is more sad than the lowliest, most poor person around. And really, no one can be happy if you aren't around, or there isn't an earth around, to be happy on. So that's where the long term kicks in Its not all just short joys, you have to plan and be happy as you do it, and make sure that later on, your kids, your grandkids, will have a place to be happy, and you will be happy then too.

But now, it really just sounds like a bunch of commercial fodder, used to make you buy something, or some sort of cheesy "everything is groovy, man" thing. And that's not what I mean. I'm just asking, would you chose billions of dollars, a beautiful spouse, millions of people to rule over, but no guarantee that you will be happy, or none of that, just pure, long lasting happiness? Really, which one? I'm trying to be profound ere, I'm trying to get across a message. I mean, after all, people who smile live longer.

Title Quote: Hair (musical), Flesh Failures (let the Sun Shine In)

Picture Credit: For the first two: Glynis Selina Arban, The last one is from an unidentified flickr user.