Entitlements of the upperclass

I listened to a fun interview of Dr. Albert Bartlett today at:

http://globalpublicmedia.com/dr_albert_bartlett_in_depth

Mostly he reminded me how unnatural sustained growth is, in individuals, and in cultures in the long run.

Whatever truths you want to believe, at the moment at least, if you're reading this, you are on the pinnacle time and location of a pinnacle species.

Expectations of what is "normal" is hard to judge from short perspectives. Even as I write, I find it impossible to really believe the obvious - that our success is not sustainable, that every day we live we come one day closer to a time of diminishing returns where everything we know will be tested, a one time experiment on the ascent of man. Humans in a 1000 year won't have what we have.

I know being part of a successful species and culture, success measured by power and affluence, it is easy to think we'll solve the problems of our success by an even better source of energy. I can go both ways - both see we can likely do much more than I'd expect AND see the fragility of what we've created, and the difficulty to keep it running.

Basically I see all of life as some sort of dynamic equilibrium, developing long scale negative feedback loops that keep it stable, and then positive feedback loops that risk pushing it over. Humans are one of those positive feedbacks - feeding on our own success until something stops us.

My title was meant to remind me that everything we know isn't a right, and nothing is guaranteed. When I think of the momentum needed to change direction, I despair.

It seems it is not human nature to set limits, at least not willingly ,not collectively, not in times of apparent abundance under a warm sun and full belly. Every solution that tries to moderate our success seems unacceptable to our expectations.

I'm reduced to this conclusion: We're of the world, not above it, and when we're reminded of this reality, we can either listen (to our fears), try to use our talents to work within the systems, or we can try to fight them a war we can't ultimately win.

But for now, the illusion of transcendence seems secure. We've tasted from the tree of knowledge and we're not going back, not willingly.

We of the upperclass have a choice. Those of us who see the choice can fight for another way, and when the old falls away, when our expectations are cleared away, we can see what's left to protect for the next generation.

It's hard to think I have more responsibility because I can see more, but it must be true. I have a choice, and so do you. We all have more choices than we think.