Next week
We'll return to our regularly scheduled programming in a few days (35)
We’ve generally settled on an “omniscient third person narrator” voice for these posts. I’m not quite sure how or why that happened, or if it’s the best voice to use, but it works. Today, though, I, Scott, am writing from my own perspective. (I’m also reveling in the fact that I managed to both put commas after four consecutive words and convince myself that it’s grammatically correct.)
The United States isn’t very united these days. We’re divided on nearly every issue. Or, to be technical, not usually on the issues themselves, but on the ways to fix them.
But almost everything we squabble about on a day-to-day basis should be taking a back seat to one thing few people seem to mention.
Think about this:
Does it really matter who owns Twitter if humans cannot survive on this planet anymore?
Does it really matter who wins the World Series, Super Bowl or World Cup if we as a species do not have a home?
Does any ruling by any court - Supreme or otherwise, here or abroad - mean anything if civilization as we know it collapses?
The best minds we have dedicated to the subject of climate change - the people who have spent their careers studying this, measuring the changes happening right now, all around us - are telling us that we are approaching the point where it is too late to make a difference in the effort to stop the earth from warming.
Next week's election has been called "a battle for the soul of the nation." This misses the larger, more important, point: there won't be a nation if we can't get our act together on climate change.
Most of us manage not to think about this on a regular basis and that makes sense: it's pretty horrifying. The overwhelming consensus in the scientific community is that the planet is getting hotter, humans are causing this, and life will soon be considerably harder for everyone than it is now. Everyone. Regardless of whether you're rich or poor, where you live, the color of your skin. While we can still mitigate some of those effects, the window for that is closing.
Yes, many of these headlines are alarming. And that is perhaps one of the problems we face as a society: exhaustion from all the drama. For a more measured approach (that requires some time and thought to read and digest), check out this article from Bret Stephens, a politically conservative former climate change skeptic who clearly and calmly outlines the situation we're in and offers a mix of government- and market-driven ideas that can help.
It's easy to believe there's nothing you can do about this, it's too big a problem for me to solve. Well, there are two things anyone and everyone can do right now that will matter: pray and vote.
If you don't believe in God, what harm is there in spending 10 seconds during your morning commute or after you lay down at night to send a silent plea for help into the void? And if you believe God can do anything and you aren't asking Him to keep this planet habitable for future generations, that’s low-hanging fruit you can pick today: add it to your prayer list.
2050 sounds like a long way off. It's not. It's only 27 years from now. Do you know anyone under the age of 18? Anyone at all. A son or daughter? Niece or nephew? Grandchild, Godchild, sibling, neighbor, student, friend of a friend? That person won't even be 44 years old in 2050.
They're also too young to vote next week. They don’t get to have a say in the people who will determine what their lives will look like when they’re in their 30s and 40s. What are we setting them up for?
If you can't be bothered to vote for yourself, think of them. Vote for them.
We need politicians in office who:
recognize the warning signs that are screaming at us from every direction,
understand that collective action on the part of every nation on Earth is needed now,
realize that some of us will need to make sacrifices so that all of us have a chance to survive, and
understand that America must take the lead and set an example for other countries to follow.
If you are registered to vote and have not yet made a plan to cast your ballot next week, get on it. Yes, this is a midterm election. No, the President is not on the ticket. But every single one of the 435 members of the House of Representatives is up for re-election. And 34 of the 100 Senate seats will be decided on November 8. These are the people who make laws. Without them on board, we cannot solve this problem. With them, we have a chance.
Amy and I have already voted from 4,210 miles away.
You have no excuse not to get to a polling place that's probably on your way to work or the grocery store. Make your plan now:
where do you need to go to vote? (If you're not sure, check here: https://www.vote.org/polling-place-locator/)
What time next Tuesday will you go there?
If you don't know who's running in your area or what you will be asked to vote for, you can see exactly what your ballot will look like by clicking here: https://ballotpedia.org/Sample_Ballot_Lookup
This is what our ballots looked like when they arrived:
If you don't know where your candidates stand on climate change, take a moment to check their websites. If they're not talking about it there, it's not a high enough priority for them. Consider voting for a candidate who is.
You can print out your sample ballot, research your candidates, mark your choices, and bring the printout with you to your polling place so all you need to do is fill in the bubbles on the ballot they hand you when you check in.
If, as is more likely the case, you've made your plan, great! Or maybe you've already voted early. Good for you! And thank you for participating in our democracy. Here's a third quick and easy thing you can do to make a difference: forward this message to someone you know who needs to see it.
Vote as if your life - and the lives of everyone you know and love - depends on it.
That’s all for now.
Love from Lisbon,
Scott
I was wondering how things like voting and taxes worked from overseas. Looks like you get a say in the politics of your last location of residence in the US. Will you stay on those voter rolls indefinitely? Once you get past 2022, will you only file federal taxes?
Amen