Good morning,
OPTIMISM TEMPERED BY CONCERN
I’m an optimist. My college friend Bill Barnett shares this perspective. He notes: “I have always been an optimist. If SC is down two touchdowns going into the 4th quarter I can usually map out a way (in my head of course) to victory. It only takes two things—enough time and a team effort, a willingness to work together for a common goal. I believe we have hit a crucial and decisive point in human sustainability. The experts say we have about a decade to turn things around but that is if and only if we all realize what we are up against…”
Bill is on to something. I think our great challenge as a people is a complete focus on the present. There is a lack of appreciation for the past and the deep and meaningful philosophical and humanistic heritage we have been given (as well as missteps and disasters from which we can learn lessons) and a lack of respect for, and preparation for, the future—a future we may not live to see. There was a book title some years ago, the title of which resonates with me today, “Tenants of Time.” That’s really what we are—mere tenants—and it’s up to us to make sure we honor the legacy of those who preceded us and leave the place habitable for the next set of tenants.
The current inability to pass an energy bill does not bode well for our stewardship of this globe hurtling through space…
BOOK TIME
Bill recommends a book focused on climate change and the work that needs to be done: “We of course have several short-term problems like, racism, gun control, a women’s right to an abortion, all coincidentally headed in the wrong direction... However, there is one issue that I feel is by far the most important issue in human history. The book is called Speed and Scale by John Doerr. It is about climate change, sustainability and the cause and effect of what we, humanity, are doing to the planet.”
Bill continues, “[Meanwhile], one group of people is more concerned about their taxes, their guns, their independence, their religion, their ability to make selfish choices at the cost of their friends, neighbors and even family. I liken this to smoking 50 years ago, we all knew by the 60’s and 70s how bad smoking was but many continued to do it and still do to this day, even at the cost of their own life and more importantly their children’s health. Our greed and selfishness is unrivaled by any other species but so too is our ability to think, analyze and plan and that’s what’s makes our species so amazing and tragic at the same time.”
In response to my recommendation of Culture of Fear, which addresses our sometimes irrational and non-fact-based fears, Mark Eshman suggests: “Another book like the one you mentioned about fear is Factfulness, which is a cool take about how we fail to appreciate how much progress we’ve made as a planet in areas such as poverty, hunger, disease, etc. If you haven’t read it, you would love it.” I haven’t read it…I just ordered it…
Finally, I just finished Otherlands, by Thomas Halliday, which I recommend. It is a history of the Earth, going backwards through deep time. It’s well written and fascinating, as it describes worlds so unlike our own, which existed right here on Earth. The Pleistocene, Pliocene and Miocene (going back in time to 20MM years ago) seem vaguely relatable, given some familiar flora and fauna and the emergence of humanoid predecessors. The description of the meteor crash in the Yucatan around 65 million years ago, bringing the Mesozoic Era and the dinosaurs to an end, as well as the Permian extinction of 255 MM years ago, both are good stories, well told. It can drag in some places, arguing for a little skimming. After all, how much can one be engaged with descriptions of landscapes over 100 million years ago in a world both similar to and quite unlike our own?
NOVELTY TUNES, REDUX
Lots of folks have a lot to say about their love for Kinky Friedman, including Bill Ginn, who recalls seeing him numerous times in the 80s at the Lone Star Café in New York, and Jeff Grant, who prides himself on his Kinky CD collection. Russ Chittenden shares this personal recollection:
“The last time I saw [Kinky] perform was at a high-end antique store in San Antonio a few years ago after one of his several failed campaigns for the governorship of Texas. Alas, his comedic classic ‘The Ballad of Charles Whitman’ had ensured that he would never be governor. The song was about a UT student who climbed to the top of the campus bell tower and shot and killed numerous people... Moreover, the song played upon the fact that the shooter had been a Marine and an Eagle Scout. At the time of the shooting, there was “a rumor about a tumor” on the shooter’s brain that possibly explained why an upstanding fellow would do such a thing. Thus, the last line of Kinky’s song was particularly galling:
‘The doctor’s tore his poor brain down
But not snitch of illness could be found
Most folks say they just don’t get
And them that do will not admit it
There’s still a lotta Eagle Scouts around.’”
This seems particularly prescient, as a lot of angry, disaffected, radicalized young white men are following in the steps of this murderer, with no end to their crimes in sight.
BANNING ATHLETES
Finally, in the bizarre world of banning athletes for the actions of their countries of residence, Wimbleton banned Russian and Belarussian athletes from last month’s competition. I’m sure these athletes are key policymakers in their respective countries…
Have a great day,
Glenn
From the archives:
Hi Glenn. I'm an SC alum, class of 77. Glad to have been directed to your blog. Thanks for doing it. Re the banning athletes: I agree with the Wimbledon position. Putin is directing the attack. We make oligarchs feel the pain by freezing assets and taking possession of yachts. Where do the sanctions stop? Where should the line be drawn? I say ban the athletes from international competitions (including chess). Sure they have no influence on foreign policy, but their country is in the wrong. They should voice their displeasure. Also, I would remove a number of Russian students from US universities, maybe sons or daughters of oligarchs, those somehow a degree or two of separation away from Putin. Think it out, but come up with a policy that will hurt those closely associated with the kleptocrats - they've been reaping the benefits along the way as well. BTW, as an aside, I am 3 degrees of separation from Babe Ruth. So gotta be careful with that.