I'm not looking for answers to the nature of reality in regard to religion or consciousness, but rather that idea of the 'real world'. You know, the one where you pay your bills on time, you drive to wherever, you get excited about buying new things.
I've heard the phrase, 'living in the real world' on many occassion and just interested to see people's thoughts. Unfortunately I am now going to give you mine.
Yes we want the best for our children, and health, education and shelter all cost money. And so did nearly everything else you can see around you as you sit in front of the computer.
We all know there are starving kids in Ethiopia, and that there is a colossal crisis in Darfur. We've heard of atrocities performed on people by their leaders around the world and if they have something in their country that we in the west can benefit from, you're likely to hear more about it, because we'll charge in guns a blazing.
But the 'reality' for most in the developed world, is that those problems are far away and don't effect 'me'. 'That's not my reality! My reality is having enough time to protest a late night show host's joke about some idiot!' or 'how can you wear those black shoes with a brown belt!'
Sadly, ignorance is not reality and people's choice to remain ignorant or plainly turn a blind eye can no longer continue. We are learning more everyday, and everyday it sounds worse. Some figures for you.
It takes 500 years to create 1 inch of topsoil. The US has depleted 1/3 of its topsoil, largely since the 1930's, and continues to do so at a rate 18 times faster than it can regenerate. Developing nations do the same at an average of 36 times and China seems to be winning at 54 times. (China also opens up a new coal powered station every week!)
The US produces enough grain to feed the whole world, but we use 50% of it to feed cattle or make biofuels.
The world spends 12 times more on military spending than foreign aid to developing nations.
3/4 of the world's fishing grounds are exhausted, depleted or in dangerous decline.
5,000 people die everyday from drinking dirty water and nearly 1 billion do not have access to potable water. It will take 2,000 years or rain water to replenish what we have taken out of the ground in only 50 years of pumping on the Great Plains. India now has bore holes over a mile deep trying to find water. And rising sea levels will bring salinity into the water tables making it undrinkable (significant as 70% of people live along the coast) . China is turning into a dust bowl. Severe drought or land that is suffering these symptoms has risen from 15-30% since 1970.
We have reached peak energy but not so often quoted, our agriculture relies entirely on oil. We get five times regular yield out of the oil based fertilisers and pesticides we use (and I won't get into what that is doing to us for eating this crap).
13 million hectares of rainforest being chopped down every year is the latest quote!
For the first time in recent years people have started migrating to the cities, not for prosperity but simply survial. And we estimate over 200 million climate refuges by 2050.
There are 900 million cars on the road in the world. If we spread our 'amazing' way of life around the world, we will need 5 billion cars! Great for manufactures, but it will destroy the planet and us with it.
51 of the top 100 economic units (an economic unit is a business or a whole country) are corporations. That means that profitability is regarded higher than a nation and its people's well being (because that's what corporations care about, profit). Furthermore the profits go to a handful of people at the top while we do all the work and all the developing nations suffer.
And I could go on. But all these figures have arisen from a world that currently sits at 7 billion people. We're looking at 9 billion before 2050 which means greater demand on diminishing resources.
Now for the nay sayers. Essentially, 'Open your fucking eyes and start doing something about it!' Yes we can go back and forth on exactly how acurate each statistic is, but that doesn't change the fact that these things are happening and time is running out rapidly. We were given 10 years to turn things around and there are people out there making an effort, but it needs each and every one of us to work.
'It's too late for pessimism' is a great quote I heard the other day, and what I'm trying to offer are the facts (you would not call a doctor a pessimist for telling his patient they have cancer!). The reality is, the power lies with the consumer... us. We are so distracted by the media around us that we have become slaves to a financial system. So much so that some of those that actually read what I have written, would seek to dispute or ignore such things if they possibly challenge their material wants. There is no intelligence, just those that are more or less informed.
Get yourself informed and lets all become a part of 'reality'!
"Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least"
- Johann Woflgang Goethe
Thanks for reading!!
1950
