Letters to the Editor
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The invisible hand rules
I always get a kick out politician's claims of how many jobs they have created. Likewise for how we must keep our economic growth alive and well. And how we must always be number 1. ( well, that one bit the dust some time ago).
Politicians and business leaders act as if the only thing that matters is growth. Well, we've had unprecedented growth for some time now, and I haven't noticed the environmental problems going away. In fact . . . you might even say they have gotten worse.
Now these observations will hardly qualify me for a Nobel Prize.(Damn- someone beat me to it!), but they do illustrate a very simple and profound bit of truth. The systems we live under are not subject to our desires. Is that so bad? Smaller cars, smaller families. natural shrubs etc.
A simple solution: stop bitching about the invisible hand that rules all of us and start thinking smarter. Notice that many of the global problems exist either because of overpopulation and/or environmental degradation. We should talk about this at a local level and stop worrying that someone might get upset if we have to change our ways.
Actually the earth will survive no matter where the water is or the nature of our air. But our children and grandchildren will care. They may well ask: why didn't you pay more attention, and take better care of our home?
We spend enormous amounts of money educating our children. Shouldn't we think just a little further out and make sure they have a decent home and environment to live in?
I think the bottom line of dealing with the invisible but inevitable laws we live by will ultimately rest on how much we care and how we are willing to conserve for future generations.
As always, all politics is local and the question always is: what will I do?