Face Reality or Perish?

Weaving through our never-ending obsession with U.S. politics is a skeletal finger tapping our shoulders, though we nervously whistle past it and avert our eyes. From the UN to NASA, scientists around the world are alarmed by the speed of our environment’s dissolution. Those paying attention have even increasingly been hearing the words “near term human extinction”, brought about by our heat engine civilization as it burns through the atmosphere on our small planet.

Is it too late?  Is it a fact that humans can better imagine full-on world death than consider simplifying our lives, living closer to the earth, and stopping the focus on cancerous economic growth? Are we ready to go out without a fight or a change?

Imagine the glory to coalesce our best minds, to unify as a species and to roll up our sleeves, take stock of our resources, limit our populations and stop our polluting as we get closer to nature – helping all societies work together to replenish the forest, soils, waters, and wildlife.

Encouragement, imagination, leadership, conviction, industriousness, hope and love were never needed more. Through a global Marshall Plan and a federation of nations we could remove that bony finger and grow into our greatest human potential. It’s a choice only each of us can make:  Work for a new system or keep our heads in the sand and go down at our peak of humanity. There ARE answers and we are the leaders we’ve been waiting for.

Debbie Metke works with GlobalSolutions.org, Democratic World Federalists, the United Nations Association, Peace Action, the World Parliament Campaign, the World Federalist Movement and the Center for War/Peace Studies to develop the pathway toward a livable world. She is currently writing two books on the route to get there. Read other articles by Debbie.