When I think about the future and the sustainability of the Earth's natural resources I am optimistic. I have difficulty imagining an Earth with limited resources, extinct animals, and a contaminated atmosphere. Realistically, people on our planet will continue to use precious resources excessively if governmental regulations are not put in to action, or perhaps people of the future will be able to re make and re place natural resources with man made resources. Most people are not willing to change their lifestyles unless their lives or lifestyles are threatened and changing the way they live is no longer just an option. I am a firm believer in governmental regulations when the topic is saving people from themselves and I believe this must be done to protect the future. When individuals make poor life decisions the cause is usually due to lack of understanding and knowledge of how their actions will effect themselves or others around them. An abundant of people do not understand the extreme severity of protecting the Earth's resources from depleting.
Society today has made life a contest on who can consume the most resources, in that excessive consumption equals success. Money hungry people are the ones who continue to consume and use resources like its going out of style because they just simply can. In the reading, The Futurist, a quote I found to be eye opening was " It would be hopelessly naive to believe that entire populations will suddenly experience a moral awakening, renouncing greed, envy and avarice." This quote makes me think about how impossible getting everyone to regulate the amount of resources they use is, even with government regulation. Those who are wealthy and desperate will always be able to buy their way out of laws and regulations that middle class people have to abide by. But although we may never live in a perfect world, saving the world from itself is something that can be done. In the article Thinking Ahead: The Value of Future Consciousness, it states that "wisdom can also be described as being able to grasp the big picture of reality and use this knowledge for the betterment of life." I liked this quote because I do believe knowledge is power and should be used for the greater good, not evil. With government interference, people should be given the knowledge on how they are corroding the Earth, how to change positively, and how both ways could change their future for better or for worse. Government regulations should start with major corporations in teaching them how to grow, manufacture and distribute goods in an eco friendly way. In the article, Visioneering: an essential framework in sustainability science, it makes a good point, "The purpose of this note and comment is to help awaken the sleeping giants in our communities to envision a sus- tainable world and to fulfill it. Our objective is to re- emphasize the significance of a clear vision and its engineering in sustainability science to move scientists and practitioners towards sustainability." This goes along with my belief of improving the manufacturers and wealthy investors who have the most control over the well being of the planet first and then the trickle down effect will play into the change as a whole.
Hi, Larissa!
ReplyDeleteYou have identified one characteristic considered fundamental to your vision of the future: governmental involvement. Now, you should expand this to other characteristics, as you describe, a solution to the challenges we face will required a multi-dimensional approach. I'm unsure from your blog is you understand the concept of a mental mode -- insure that you link the paradigm, belief, mental mode that the tenets of your vision will require to move others in a certain direction. Also, I encourage you to use your own words -- synthesize and paraphrase what you have learned about.