Permit me to offer occasional musings. You will realise no doubt that I sometimes dispair of the way society is progressing. i will leave you to judge whether to adopt an optimistic or pessimistic view of the future of the world !
There are
ideas and notions appertaining to our society that are worthy of study and
others that may be better to ignore. The problem with this is that we have all
differing opinions based on what we hear, see and eventually believe. So who
can say what is true and what is heresay?
There are
those who are in an advantageous position to instill belief or conviction of
their particular ideas; or to put their ideas and plans into action to what
they consider either their private gain or the Public good. History is littered with actions which
have produced positive good, and sadly many that have had the reverse effect. The
present day is no exception and with the increase in knowledge the actions that
may be taken are often devoid of common sense.
As we are told regularly the planet is a fragile
object and we humans, as its principal actors, do not always treat it and its
components with the respect it deserves to ensure its longevity as a place for
animal and plant life to live in harmony and health.
Many problems that we face stem from the demands that
we all make for our comfort and convenience which often lead to solutions that
through the wonders of science and misplaced scientific knowledge risk in
creating more problems than those that may have solved.
Sorting the good from the bad is not always easy. The
famous ethereal highway – the Internet – hosts millions of words dedicated to
the explanations of the ideas and an almost equal number of contrasting
arguments disproving or procreating other points of view.
The apparently mundane subject of aeroplane vapour
trails (like hot breath on cold glass) has produced a swarm of ideas from those
who suspect these trails are laden with noxious chemicals. The ominous
implications of these aeroplane ‘chem trails’, as they have been entitled, that criss-cross our skies range from weather
warfare, schemes on behalf of power seeking politicians, death and destruction,
the end of the planet etc. by authors of
controversial conspiracy theories. Some
consider there is regular and intentional spraying of hazardous chemicals over
our heads. Most consider the vapour trails are hot gases in very cold air with
the minimal chemical fall out to be expected from exhaust fumes. For you to
judge !
Like it or not we are surrounded by chemicals in what
we breathe, eat or drink; some avoidable, many not. A recent Que Choisir report insinuates that we
welcome into our homes many chemicals in cleaning fluids, insect repellents and
sprays, plant remedies and the like. They often contain harmful molecules as
evil as those used in agricultural pesticides, that have such bad press.
Television programmes may tell you that we eat residues of pesticides in the
majority of our foods. What they might forget to say is that this majority is
well below the legal safety levels. The water we drink is strictly controlled
and monitored. What is added to bottled drinks may not always for our best
interests.
The entire subject of what we are told we should be
afraid of in our daily lives is often subject to exaggeration and misplaced or
misinterpreted reporting to make news. As the old adage says there is no smoke
without fire but it is not often a raging inferno.
We should be careful to weed out the improbable from
the impossible. The sensible from the absurd.
To quote Karl Lagerfeld “Absurdity and anti—absurdity
are the two poles of creative energy.”
That energy we
could put to good effect !
Que Choisir is the French
equivalent to Which magazine.
