Wonder, Mystery, Oblivion

Brief morning thoughts

I keep brooding over Chris Hedges’ latest essay, Dawn of the Apocalypse, where he assesses the reality of the ecological emergency. Hedges is a brilliant, relentless chronicler of the dangers and unspeakable horrors of contemporary life. He is probably the closest thing we have today to a George Orwell. I often feel, when I read him, as If I am getting vertigo, entering a dizzying doom-spiral, with no possible way out.

His essay reminds me that we are not acting at the level of urgency that our situation requires. Is that even possible?

James Lovelock, maverick scientist and co-creator of The Gaia Hypothesis — which proposes that the Earth self-regulates like a giant living organism — passed away yesterday at the age of 103.