Farhad Manjoo at the New York Times wants you to be hopeful. Even when I do not agree with Farhad, I always admire his ability to write and make his thought-provoking points.

The New York Times is refusing to publish anything from this piece in comments because I have broken a cardinal rule. You are allowed to write about the intractable problems our culture is facing, but you must include two things.

1.) As you wrap it up, you are required to tell the reader there is hope. The New York Times understands that the mommies from Connecticut are put upon, distressed with their own children, and they’re kinda cranky about how all of this pandemic works. They want hopefulness, and they want it now.

2.) Somewhere in there you are required to make the point called: if only we could all work together.

Our species has never worked together on anything as staggering as climate change.

In today’s New York Times, Farhad delves into climate issues, air quality, and concludes there’s still hope. If only we could all work together.

What else is there. What other choices do we have.

Suicide.

I would argue that suicide would go a long way toward solving fundamental issues. This in the face of climate fires, climate migration, and the end of agriculture.

It is considered uncivil to write this. Uncivil as a word describes nothing.

The data the New York Times is using is old. To make this data relevant, you have to assess at least some anecdotal conclusions. The rate of hunger and malnrition for children. The trends in suicide. The odds that by 2035, the middle class will have disappeared. The death of Capitalism which stresses competition when what culture needs to cooperation to survive. By 2035, we will have had two more viral pandemics, and both of them will be the result of climate change and development.

By 2040, climate migration will have been squeezed so tight, war and war will be wages until 2050. Which is the date currently set by scientists who maintain this date as the tipping point when it cannot be turned back.

But that date is already here. By 2050, small bands of our species will still be here. Existence will resemble human existence 150,000 years ago, but instead of being cold, it will be hot, and in many parts of the planet it will be so hot, human being cannot go there.

The New York Times will still insist there is hope. It’s bullshit, and they know it.

For this to work, the suicides must begin now. This would include the suicides of children, but children are already killing themselves.

Life and air quality do not exist in a vacuum.

It is uncivil to tell the actual truth in the New York Times because one just gets shut down time and time again. Air quality must be seen as something we can have an effect on.

The inconvenient truth is that the environment cannot be saved. It is too late whether the New York Times wants to allow us common people to articulate what reality our lives confront or not.

Climate change is here. It isn’t something we need to scramble for. It burns. It drowns. It kills. It poisons.

Just breathe. If you can.

The hopeful status quo agreement, especially among writers who understand their copy will be unacceptable if their editors consider it as too depressing, is that the wringing of our hands needs to take place, and while some of that is deemed something that can be published, it must be countered with a call to arms that says – if we only work together.

There you go again. Less might be better but only when Jimmy Carter was president. Ronnie wanted more to be better. If we stop burning fossil fuels today, there will be no obvious effect until 2050. Most red flags are designed for 2045, not 2020. 2045 is so late to the party, the only people attending the party will be the rich. The poor will be dead. The middle class will be gone no matter what we do. Capitalism will not survive. War in the streets over resources. 

The suicide rate is climbing now.

Where do you think it will be in 2050. There will only be one way out.

What is life if there is no quality to it whatsoever. Why are you here.

Teach me how to swim.