Chapter 17

This article was a pretty interesting one. At the beginning, honestly, I was a little lost. Geology has never really interested me. But as I read on, it became more and more apparent that this was actually coming to a point. I loved how the author got to compare the geology of the world to collapses of cultures and refer it to the possible collapse of our own.

Also, as I was reading the article I began going into the daze that I often do when reading another endless article about how we’re destroying the planet. Our environment is wearing away. We are ruining our children. Those of us who survive are going to live on a two by two plot of land in Nowhere, Arizona. We’re all going to die. And on, and on. However, this was different. Despite some of the gloomy predictions by other writers referenced in the article, this one actually came out with a sunny ending.

I loved how the author referred to himself as simply “sounding an alarm clock” for us by writing all of these articles of doom. He ended the article with remarkable optimism. He actually does feel that we’ll get out of this ecological slump we’re in and come out bigger and better. I couldn’t agree more.

I believe everything happens for a reason. We’ve been told since the seventies that we were ruining our world with industry and pollution. I mean, who didn’t see those recycling commercials chiming “Recycle! Reduce! Reuse!” in elementary school in the early nineties. Yes, this global warming and ecological panic that we’re in is nothing new. However, people are actually starting to take action, finally. It’s starting to sink in that we’re ruining our environment by doing little things like driving 800 passenger SUVs (maybe a little exaggeration) with one person in it instead of carpooling. I do not think that we are in immense danger at this very moment. Which brings me back to my point (and seemingly the article’s point). This sudden movement is all happening for a reason. Perhaps by this happening now, we will come out with a healthier Earth than ever before. We will begin to create new and safer inventions that will in turn lead the way to even more mind-blowing creations. The world is at our feet. We just need to sound a warning to everyone that this is no joke. The late future of our world is at stake.