But it's cold outside!

I try. I really do try to understand where people are coming from. I can usually see the reasoning behind many viewpoints that I completely disagree with. But there are some that just completely elude me. Global warming is one of the biggies. Firstly, it's 2007 people - waaay past time to realize that global warming is real and worth considering. I was watching a star trek:tng episode (yes, I'm a dork and I love it) about how warp drives are slowly destroying the universe - clearly a parable about global warming. TNG ended in 1993. So this thing is from over a decade ago. It's like how I feel about playing guitar. Stay with me here - it makes sense. Kinda. If I had started playing guitar when I first became interested, I'd be the next Jimi Hendrix by now. With boobs. Well, maybe not quite that but certainly way beyond where I am. Instead, I'm so overwhelmed by the prospect of practicing each day that I just keep putting it off. If we had started, and I mean really started, changing our lifestyles a decade ago, can you imagine where we'd be now?

What I absolutely abhor is the argument that global warming is not man-made. I hate to tell you, but whether the pitcher hits the stone or the stone hits the pitcher, it's gonna be bad for the pitcher. Even if it's not man-made, it's still gonna have negative consequences on the human race. But come on people. You've probably inhaled some car exhaust at one point in your lives. Are you telling me that that stuff is perfectly fine for the planet and la-dee-da? Then there's the classic "but it's cold here! clearly there ain't no global warming." Sorry, but it doesn't work that way. Global warming's about climate not weather.

The refusal to believe well over the majority of the scientists in the world reflects another concern I have for this country - the devaluation of education and intelligence. There are satires (like idiocracy and the colbert report). And usually they make me laugh. But sometimes it gets to the point where they make me want to scream. I fear that since those we elect to power were elected by the current populace, attempts to help education are just for show. That's particularly cynical and I know that there are people out there who genuinely believe that if we could just pelt kids with standardized tests, then we'd have a generation of Einsteins. Okay, that's the sarcasm coming out again. But in this day and age, it's difficult not to get disillusioned. Sometimes (and this is really dorky) I wish people were more like Vulcans - in the utilization of logic that is.

Anyway, back to global warming. I just wish I knew of ways that I could help. These days I feel like my brain is going to waste. I can see these patterns and just wish I could affect things more. I encourage everyone to change to compact florescent lights (they're cheaper too!) and shut off lights when I leave rooms. Always wait til the dishwasher is full before running it. I'm even trying to convince my parents to put solar panels on their house and sell energy back to the grid. If I had the money and didn't live in an apartment, I'd do it.

Right now I guess I'll have to settle for posting sarcastic comments on other people's blogs (case in point:

"I am so happy someone has blown the top off this thing. Earth day was completely ruining my life! All I want to do is harmlessly wiretap peoples phones, but those crazy leftists want to hang up posters? It's so intrusive! Imagine using scare tactics to consolidate power. It's disgraceful. Certainly the right would never use anything like fear to have the public fall in line to do something that would have worldwide consequences, like a war. I just don't understand why those liberals insist that I change to compact florescent lights and save money in the big picture. It's like all they can ever think about is the big picture."

which is in response to this random dude. It's a complete waste of time, but then again venting is always therapeutic. What really scares me is that even if everyone agreed that combating global warming deserved our attention, it would be difficult to reverse the effects. Maybe some people who deny that it is happening only do so because the prospect of having to fix it is overwhelming. I just cannot believe that people still value - I don't even know what - over this Earth. Cheesy as it is, there's only one third rock from the sun and it's all we got.