Conversation

I talked briefly with a few friends concerning the environment. They have not taken a course concerning the environment, and it was clearly evident that they argued solely on the political rhetoric that is so prevalent in this election season. One friend demonized corporations and criticized the government for being apathetic, all the while he wouldn’t turn off the lights when he left a room. Another friend argued that the earth has historically gone through climate changes before. Both were very smart students, but both were just repeating lines they have heard before. Neither read a great deal about it, leading to us arguing about the foundations of the argument, and not the argument itself.

While the conversation was respectful, I came away from it thinking that because of the wealth of environmental issues, it would be near impossible for two people to agree completely about the environment. They were also so concerned with the political rhetoric and macro view of the environment that they lost sight of personal accountability and action.