The aftermath of Hurricane Helene has been described several times in the media as “Biblical”. This is of course true in the superficial sense that it was a big flood and there's one of those in the Bible. But the real story for the ages here that resonates across time and should be passed on as legend deep into the future (if we make it that far) are the lies and the disbelief even in the midst of the undeniable—the brutal and increasingly tragic self-deception still held by so many, including perhaps a majority of the residents in Western North Carolina most affected by this disaster. Their hearts are hardened. The world groans in pain. These lies of course have an ultimate source: the fossil fuel companies and their political representatives who continue to deceive. The deceivers. They knew, they lied, they lie, and many believe. Tragedy of tragedies. Tragedy well beyond anything Shakespeare, the ancient Greeks or Hebrews could have conjured. Luckily, we are not fated, and there is still a tremendous amount we can do. And we have and are doing so, if not fast enough. I choose to believe the truth will prevail and the deceivers will be routed out and brought to justice. Meanwhile, the rest of the world suffers under this same weight--the concurrent flooding in Nepal just to name one example.
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Chris Dunn, PhD
Researcher, writer, explorer*, photographer, thinker. Wrestling with nature, culture, technology. Archives
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*When I use the term "exploration", I mean it in a personal sense (discovery for myself, or at a unique moment in time [everywhere after all--even crowded cities--endlessly await rediscovery--by new eyes and in new moments]), not in an absolute sense. With few exceptions (notably Antarctica), almost everywhere on earth has had other people around for a long time (though to varying degrees - high mountain tops or places like the interior of the Greenland Ice Sheet for instance were far less visited and populated, and undoubtedly at least some pockets of the earth were never visited or populated). It is an enlightening experience though when on an isolated ridge in what feels like the middle of nowhere to wonder if anyone has set foot there but never knowing for sure. What is significant is that the landscape itself is left in such a condition that it isn't evident. Some places ought to be kept that way.
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