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I’ve been thinking about two different quotes a lot lately, especially as war in Ukraine rages and calls for more fossil fuel extraction increase.
The first quote is by the first human in space, Yuri Gagarin, a Russian, who said “Orbiting Earth in the spaceship, I saw how beautiful our planet is. People, let us preserve and increase this beauty, not destroy it!”
Vladimir Putin loves Russian heroes and I wonder if anyone has shown him that quote lately? On the 60th anniversary last year of Gagarin going into space, Putin laid a wreath on his monument and said, “This is without a doubt a great event that changed the world. We will always be proud that it was our country that paved the road to outer space." It appears Putin didn’t hear what Gagarin had to say about the planet.
The other quote I’ve been thinking about is by Thomas Gray, “Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise.”
I think about that quote a lot in terms of climate change, but it also applies to the war in Ukraine. It seems that the more one knows about either topic, the more despondent one can become.
Would our mental health be better off if we just ignored these issues and head to the beach or the mountains? Probably. But what if we can’t ignore these things? What if we are consumed by them? How can we take care of ourselves and still care about world events?
I’m not a psychologist, and if you are feeling helpless and hopeless, you should see one. But it seems that taking some sort of action, no matter how small, could help. Volunteer or donate towards one of these causes. You can find many sources by searching online.
Michael Clinton
Longmont
