Living in Louisiana means that it’s hot all the time. I’m pretty sure our seasons go spring, summer, more summer and spring again. If you don’t have access to air-conditioning then it’s considered a problem, but that is because we are conditioned to be that way. We rely on things like air-conditioning and cars for transportation and access to food. We necessitate ease and comfort and it’s those needs that cripple us and even harm the environment. Our ancestors lived the way that we should be living, the way our bodies were meant to. But with our advancements in technology, our lives have become way too convenient.
There has no doubt been a generous increase to industry and technology over the past 50 years. These are things that can help contribute to polluting the atmosphere, but these boons in industry and innovation make life easy and we humans like to live easy lives.
Sure, I’ll do whatever I can to help out the environment. I’m not going to throw plastic bottles around, but I’m not going to ride a bike for more than a few miles in the Louisiana heat when I can just take my car.
I think most people generally feel the same way. You have to pick your battles. Will you fight the litterbug or the giant, flaming ball in the sky? Take the consumption of gas for example. We all know gas pollutes the environment, but we need it for every aspect of our lives. We consume it at an alarming rate and oil companies have caught on. That’s why the cost of gas is so high; because we demand it and are willing to pay whatever price they ask of us. What changes are we willing to make to get back to the natural order of things? We’re so willing to pay for convenience and we pay for it with more than just money.
People want things that will make their lives easier, such as taking desk jobs over physical labor. I’m sitting at a desk right now, writing this in a comfortable temperature controlled room, but our bodies weren’t built to sit around all day. Sitting all day can actually reduce your life expectancy, even if you exercise regularly (Google it). We were meant to be outside, in this God-awful Louisiana heat, running around, being active and experiencing the environment we so readily destroy.
I believe that humans will only take on change if it will directly benefit them with the least amount of effort. We’re a selfish race of creatures; it’s our nature. Why get up and tend to a garden for an hour when we can entertain ourselves with a television sitcom? I’m guilty too. I probably won’t go off and try to plant a field of sunflowers or anything (because they attract bees, which can sting you and it’s hot).
Our civilization isn’t going to change overnight. With the luxuries that we enjoy, things are only going to get easier. The current life expectancy is just under 70 years and with all of our advancements in medicine and technology, it increases every year. But this all comes at a cost. If we continue to sit inside and hide from the things that inconvenience us, we risk missing out on the beauty that surrounds us.