What the grade 2s learned today: The water on earth has always been here. The dinosaurs drank it, and all future generations of humans will drink the same water.
This reminds me how human actions run counter to knowledge. I know that if I pollute the water it is harder for the earth to clean it and that I eventually I will have less water to drink and over time this may put the future of mankind in jeopardy. But...... I can't see any instant effects of my actions, so what the heck.
What we are seeing is knowledge superseded by short term gain. Sure, the knowledge is not conscious -I'm not thinking about the fact that polluted water means it becomes more scarce and is not an easily replenished resource- but even if I was thinking about that, I wouldn't care. I wouldn't care because my actions don't matter. It's the classic water and wine story. The problem is, this trait in humans is killing us.
If everyone realized that their actions were everything (which they are, since you can't have a sum without the parts) things could be very different. I've written before about the power of one person changing their choices, but it's worth repeating.
If you can change yourself, you create a standard against which others are forced to compare themselves. Without an example of a better way, it is easy to rest in complacency.
Human actions running counter to knowledge can be found in many areas of life. Health and nutrition; the environment; the kid who knows he'll get in trouble but does it anyway; the educated smoker; the list goes on...
What this amounts to is this: Longevity is not top priority.People say they are afraid of dying, but apparently only of a quick or accidental death. They do not always act in their long-term, overall health's best interests.
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