CHANGING TACK

POST # 75

I looked up the word “tack” in the dictionary the other day and there are a variety of definitions. One relates to sailing and is “the act of changing the course of the vessel by turning the bow into and through the wind”.
A second definition is “a course of action or policy”.

Changing the course of action is the one that caught my eye.

Recently I was reminded yet again that the topic of climate change is at the very least a difficult subject, and one that many people do not want to discuss, kind of like religion and politics. I found myself bringing the topic up again recently and the reaction that I received is what I have now come to expect, so it doesn’t really surprise me any longer. People will listen only to a certain point and then it’s time to change the subject or have the subject changed for you. At least I have become better over the years at recognizing when that time has come.

So I decided on a new tack. From now on, I will refer anyone who is interested to my friend Guy Mcpherson’s website which is called “Nature Bats Last” and can be found at guymcpherson.com and let Guy do the talking. He has managed to put together a very comprehensive package of scientific facts which spell out the situation very clearly for anyone who is willing to at least hear the message. What they do with the information is entirely up to them. This reminds me of a conversation I had years ago with one of my Aquabus colleagues, and at the time she asked me why I would want to trouble myself with this topic. I remember pointing across the water to a condo and saying to her, that if I was standing at the bottom of it, and a huge chunk of concrete had let go from the top of the condo and was falling at a rapid rate towards me, I would want to know that, in order to get out of the way.

I will continue to pass this information on for as long as I am possible and the reason for doing so is encapsulated in the words of author Arundhati Roy- “The trouble is that once you see it, you can’t unsee it. And once you’ve seen it, keeping quiet, saying nothing, becomes as political an act as speaking out”.

So I will continue to speak out, even if it is only to refer people to the information so that they are aware. I understand that doing so has caused some friction over time with various people, and some friends have even fallen by the wayside. That makes me sad. In spite of that, I feel that the information regarding this topic is important and so I will try and share it with whomever wants to listen.

I suppose some would think that because of the dire subject matter, that I would be spending my days in a haze of depression. This in fact is not the case and I would go as far to say that it’s precisely because of the message, that I seem to get even more pleasure out of each day that I have to spend.

Another reason to change tack is that I understand completely that when I am telling any story (in this case the story of climate change) I tend to let my emotions get involved and at times, get quite worked up about it. Referring people simply to the facts on Guy’s website keeps the message clear and concise and takes the emotion out of it.
It’s kind of like that old line on the TV series “Dragnet” in which the main character, the detective (Joe Friday??) use to say, “Just the facts ma’am”. That’s how I view Guy’s website, it’s just the facts.

Life is truly an amazing thing and something to be appreciated even when it throws in a few curveballs now and again. And climate change is one helluva curveball.


Happy Trails,

Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer (or as I was recently referred to as “ The Happy Doomer”)