“If you were to compare our cultural history with a car, then we’re not only driving with the emergency brake on, but also with flat tires, dirty spark plugs and defective steering. And now we’ve come to a standstill….” Karen Duve
In the age of climate change, species extinction, atomic bombs, overpopulation, multiresistant germs and unregulated financial markets, it’s a shame that the majority of politicians and economists calling the shots are the ones who are the least willing to take the long view. They ended up in their positions because they have qualities that, upon closer inspection, are also ideal for a life of crime: brutal assertiveness, a willingness to take risks, self-confidence and unlimited commitment. Nice, responsible and socially functional people don’t usually make it to the top management level. That’s a problem.
There’s no question that we are closer to a global collapse than most people believe. More economic growth may lead to more prosperity over the next few years, but in the long term, it just means more trash, more hunger, more tornados, more droughts and more flooding. A lot more flooding. Survive OR maintain our current lifestyle – those are the choices we now have.
Karen Duve puts her foot down and bombards her readers with facts that not only demonstrate how much more would have been possible in the hundreds of thousands of years of human history, but also that it’s finally time for the rest of us to take charge at the eleventh hour.
