What If

WHAT IF

Its Easter Sunday, the weather is starting to change, suns out today and the grass is growing. We spent the morning taking care of chores, marking lambs, turning them and their mothers, out of the lambing jugs. Was an enjoyable sight watching the young ones experience their first adventure out in the big world! The new lambs are trying to run and jump, with their mothers following nervously keeping track of them. These are some of the most enjoyable and looked forward scenes around here every year. It is a scene that has been repeated through our history, for thousands of years and one that we expect to continue.

Now to the what if part of this post! I have been reading and listing to all of the commentary and study about Global Warming the effects it’s going to have on man kind and the world we live in. I am sure that, we as humans have had and will continue to have an effect on the environment and the conditions in which we live. How much of an effect we have I don’t know, there are a lot of different camps with different ideas, scenarios and out comes for the future. It does seem to me although that every one is concentrating on the causes, effects and solutions to the problem of Global Warming. I have not heard too much thought given to what we are going to do, if it does in fact happen. We as humans are far to used to being able to control our destiny, the future and all that surrounds us. For the last thousands of years we have as a species been evolving and progressing in our ability to control our immediate environment and way of life. We have progressed from hunter gathers to farmers to a major portion of us living in an urban environment, with no idea of the actual difficulties involved in survival. We have increased our average life span, concurred many of the diseases that took many of us at an early age.

SO, WHAT IF? If global warming does happen, what are we going to do? What, where, when, and how are we going to grow the food we need to support the population? Where are the masses of people going that are displaced by this event. Will the nations of the world come together and work this out together or will we do as we have done in the past and look for the advantages that will make one or more better off and superior to all others. Will we look past the differences in each other and look at the world population as one species of animal, all worth saving. Are we going to use the available water for agricultural uses, to grow the necessary food, or are some going to continue to want their share for play and esthetics. Are we as a species going to work together to survive and adapt, or are we going to do as we have always done, and see how we can take advantage of the situation to gain more than our neighbor. We may be able to slow down, maybe even stop the condition call global warming, then again there may be nothing we can do but prepare for the future. This planet we live on has gone through many changes since its birth, and will go through many more before it to dies by what ever death awaits it. It has seen many different type of life evolve and disappear, only to be replaced by a form of life suitable to the conditions present at that time. As I said before, change is probably occurring to our world, whether we have a hand in it depends on who you listen to and believe is right

Can we as a species survive the change? It is not likely that our world will be as we know it, to believe that our world is going to stay the same and never change, would be the same as burying our head in the sand to not see the change coming. Our world is changing, we are changing, and our best hope for survival is to figure out how to adapt to the change. Those who did not and do not will be study material for the intelligent life of the future.

BE FLEXABLE, BE READY AND KEEP SMILING

D. Bleak

Are You Ready

Are You Ready?

Last week, the week of March 25, 2007, a good portion of Wyoming was hit with a major spring storm. Wyoming-ites experienced everything from rain, snow, sleet, wind, thunder and lightning. Nothing new, to those of us who have lived here in this state for more than twenty five years! But to those who have just moved here or were born in the last few years, it was an eye opening experience. Snow depth’s ranged from nothing to 72 inches and wind gusts of over 100 mph to no wind at all. This is Mother Nature at her finest, and once again reminded us of our place here in her arms. With the temperatures dropping, the sun setting in the West and most people feeling happy to be home, safe from the storm. The power suddenly goes out. All at once there are no lights, no heat, no news via the television, computer or radio. The gas pumps don’t work, cash registers are down and our modern world we know and are used to comes to a sudden halt.

For some of us it is no big deal, we dig out the coal oil lanterns or candles, flash lights are made ready, camp stoves brought in from storage and extra blankest found. With all this made ready, a nostalgic calm settles and past memories flood ourselves and those near to us. To those who have never experienced the sudden loss of all things modern and no knowledge of what to do or expect, these can be trying times.

It makes me wonder just how many of us are ready and could survive if the things we take for granted in today’s world were no longer available? How many of us have the knowledge it would take to live as our ancestors only a couple of generations ago lived? How many even know what to look for or where to look for it? Remember there is no internet, no television, and no radio; all of the information highway we are accustomed to today is gone. We have to rely on what we know and who we know. I cherish the upbringing and knowledge I was given, literally from birth through the present. I have the confidence that I could survive along with most of those close to me. But how many others are there that would complete and pass the test. We never know when the next natural or man made disaster is going to happen. We have had many local or regional collapses of the modern infrastructure. To those involved all good things left, but help was and is always close, although it may appear to take forever and never be enough, help is there. What happens if there is no help? No one is coming, you are on your own! It is to late to get ready, find the knowledge and gather the material for survival. To those who know nothing, LEARN, to those who know some thing, LEARN, and to those who think they know every thing, LEARN.

And now it is time for me to end this post and see what else I need to do to keep myself and family safe and warm.

GET SMART, STAY SAFE AND KEEP SMILING

D. Bleak