More so than ever before, 2020 has many Bay Area residents wondering…."should I stay or should I go?" Between COVID-19, the decimation of the economy, tourism, worklife and vibrant city/social life, not to mention now the heatwaves, the lightning storms, the extreme wildfires, the smoke, the constantly evolving meteorological phenomena that now include fire tornadoes, fire fog, and fire eclipses.
So of course, the Clash's iconic song comes to mind:
"Darling, you've got to let me know
Should I stay or should I go?
If you say that you are mine
I'll be here 'till the end of time
So you got to let me know
Should I stay or should I go?"
But I happen to think that Mother Earth has never been more clear than this year in her desire to evict us (all human beings) for being irresponsible tenants. And if this image above ain't a clear sign, I don’t know what is.
Instead of asking Mother Earth whether she will be ours and give us a sign...we should be asking ourselves whether we can truly, finally commit to being much more responsible, compassionate, and kind inhabitants that seek to rehabilitate our ailing relationship with our Mother and one another (our planetary siblings). She has been giving us wisdom and intel all along, we just haven't taken the time to heed her warnings and calls to action to live more sustainably, respecting her boundaries and carrying capacity.
To paraphrase JFK…”Ask not what your [planet] can do for you, but what you can do for your [planet.]"
If we're not willing to do so, then maybe we humans do deserve to be shown the door.
May this be a wakeup call to us all that climate disruption is real, and to get our act together accordingly to be better planetary tenants. May we be willing, on a global level, to join the Greta Thunbergs of the world to mobilize our despair into action -- to shift our perspectives, behaviors, leaders and policies in meaningful ways that honor the well established science and innovations that can enable more sustainability and wellbeing for us all.
[Image Credit: @phototravelguide]
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