Isn’t It Pretty to Think So
Environment
Ernest Hemingway
(Image by US Department of State from flickr) Details DMCA)
(First published in July of 2022)
"Isn't it pretty to think so", is a statement made by the main character in Hemingway's novel, “The Sun Also Rises”, in response to his girlfriend's wishful thinking about their future. We, too, seem far too willing to indulge in wishful thinking. As the planet swelters in heat waves and people die of the extreme temperatures, too many of us seem to be willing to indulge in some kind of wishful thinking that climate change is not real, or not really that serious.
Reality always trumps wishful thinking. When we are confronted with the realities of global warming it is hard to deny that reality and stick to our illusions, whether they are based on some ideology that we hold dear, or even some interpretation of some religious doctrine, or what someone else has told us. We may not like reality, and it may not fit our worldview, but it is still the insistent reality that confronts us.
If our house is burning and we can see the flames, see the destruction, and feel the heat, that is reality, and it requires us to respond. We can do something to save what we can, or we can run, or we can hide, denying what is happening, and allowing the destruction while trying to wish it away.
