Now Say that in Future Tense

Remember that one time when you were in that semi-boring or awkward social situation and someone you didn’t know that well asked you, “if you only had one year left to live, and you knew it, what would you do?”

Well, happy 2011, everybody! I wish you well as we transition from the post-modern to the apocalyptic era.

 

Photo by Randy Olson

For my New Years resolution, I’ve resolved not to despair over the fact that there will be seven billion people on this planet by the end of this year. 

That's a big deal for me. 

I'm a student at an undergraduate liberal arts college, an environmentalist, a person who goes to conferences dressed in suits so that I can pretend to represent developing countries in a pseudo-United Nations: you know, fighting the good fake fight. 

The facts behind overpopulation, urban slums, global food distribution and natural resource insecurity (not to mention the likes of Times Square) make it easy for my hopelessly liberal mind to daydream about a world with billions fewer people. In such a dreamworld, sustainability might just mean more than a buzz word used to sell acai berry vodka.

But, alas: I'm over it. The world is what it is, and I can afford to daydream (or take out loans to, anyway) in the land of security and comfort formally known as Texas.

While we're all here anyway, sitting in front of our computer screens and waiting for the looming societal collapse (or not), I hope you enjoy the tid-bits of hope and despair that I post as I wade through concepts of time, value and relative perception. Please forgive my eco-terrorist undertones.