Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig
As a species, I believe we suffer from a disability. It seems we are unable to grasp and address big, long-term problems. In true political correctness, I’m wondering if this is a collective disability that most of the members of our species are afflicted with.
Unfortunately, this may be by design. Evolution trained us to ignore the big problems we can’t easily address. Focus on food and shelter and everything will be fine is the mantra that’s served us well for countless generations. In a hunter-gather culture, that may be all you need, but now given our technological prowess and collective impact what once was a keen benefit for survival (i.e. the short-term) now is delivering us a huge disability in the long-term.
I am continually dismayed at the smart people all around me who really can’t seem to see the big picture, long-term view. Whether its global warming, habit loss, or energy consumption, for most of us, what’s happening today, sadly what’s happening on American Idol, seems to matter far more to most as to what could happen in the future. This is definitely not limited to our environment. Our growing national debt is another fine example.
Acknowledging this as a disability unfortunately does nothing to help. We may be disabled, but it is still entirely up to us. There’s definitely still cause for hope, but time is limited. We need to move past our disability and manage for future generations or one day sooner than later, we may be the endangered species.