Parochialism at its worst

I am so excited to see that politicians are finally starting to talk again about the science of climate change. There was so much momentum 4 or 5 years ago, and the community was starting to realise that it wasn’t something we could stick our heads in the sand about. People started to understand that rampant industrialism and consumerism was causing our planet significant damage. That WE were responsible.

Then it disappeared and in the interim years we have had very little science and a whole lot of misinformation. Dressed up as concern for the financial and social impact of decreasing pollution and carbon emissions, it included insidious refutation of the science, seeking to confuse and obscure the consensus of the scientific community.

And Australians fell for it. Big time. We have gone so far backwards in our understanding and acceptance of the science and our fear of the possible short term financial and social costs of switching to cleaner greener power, that the recent update and concise presentation of recent scientific information about climate change – the Climate Change Commission’s Report entitled “The Critical Decade” – elicited a greater number of misinformed and ignorant comments than I’ve ever seen. And the two themes that seem to keep cropping up – apart from the standard “the world’s climate has been changing for millennia and it’s natural” – are that the financial burden is too great for our society to bear, and that Australia is so small in total global emissions that any change would not only be insignificant globally but leave us hanging high and dry alone.

These two points seem to reflect to me all that is undesirable about Australian parochialism. Yes we have a wonderful laid back view and pace of life and a she’ll be right mentality. But we have allowed ourselves to become so parochial as to think of nothing but ourselves and our hip pockets. So narrow-minded and guided by fear and loathing as to shirk all that is difficult and different. So focused on short-term costs and benefits that we are unable to lift our gaze to the future. It breaks my heart.

I may not be an economist, but even I can see the potential for great financial and social benefit to our society if we make the switch to green energy. A shift to manufacturing and producing products such as solar panels and wind turbines represents jobs and a boost to the economy. A greater focus on research and development of cleaner and greener transport, manufacturing methods, fuels and other forms of energy generation would place us at the forefront of this area. A price on carbon (whether you call it a tax or otherwise) is essential to wean big business off high carbon emitting methods, and would be even more effective if coupled with incentives to switch to greener methods. Which would be easier to do if we had the industry and resources here to do it. All of these things go hand in hand, and though there is likely to be a short term rise in the cost of electricity and fuel and goods, the long-term benefits are undeniable.

Recent arguments that it doesn’t make sense for Australia to lead the world on a switch to clean energy and on pricing carbon are now void and redundant. We can’t and won’t, because the UK and some states in the USA are already doing this. It is currently being considered in the EU. At the rate we’re going we’ll be late to the party and have lost every chance at the advantages of being at the front of the pack. The fact that this argument is still trotted out shows the ignorance amongst the community, either innocent or wilful, about what else is happening in the world, and simply provides a paper veil to hide behind so they can either stick their heads back in the sand or conceal even greater scepticism in the guise of seeming rational and concerned.

It’s time we as Australians woke up to ourselves and this herd mentality. Is it so hard to not only think for ourselves but to also take action? To inform ourselves through reading and critical thinking, and to start to think long-term not only for our sake but for the sake of every future generation. It’s time to take off the blinkers that politicians and much of mass media would have us wear to keep us pliable and gullible. It’s time for us to grow up as a country and to take action rather than sit in the corner like a sullen teenager crying “he’s not doing it so why should I”? Parochialism can have its benefits, helping a community feel more cohesive and a sense of identity and common ground, but at the moment we are a greedy lot who think only of ourselves, hate change and difference, and collectively can’t think past tomorrow.

We need to change, before our climate does irrevocably.

A treatise on marriage

At the wedding of one of my best mates on the weekend, I found myself reflecting on my own feelings about the institution of marriage, and the evolution of my thoughts and feelings regarding the subject. So what better opportunity to express those thoughts than here! I want to try and keep it short and simple because in reality the meaningfulness of marriage, in my eyes anyway, is very simple indeed. And although by keeping it short and simple I'm not really writing a treatise in the strict sense of the word, I hope you can bear with me.

Keeping aside the separate issue of weddings (which are indeed separate and different to marriage), it took me a long time to come around to the idea of marriage. I felt very strongly that I didn't need to be married to prove my love or commitment to my partner, that I didn't need the blessings and legal recognition of the state or any God, and that I didn't want to change what we already had which was pretty close to perfect in my eyes.

After some serious reflection and pondering I came to the realisation that getting married is not about proving anything, changing anything or seeking social approval and sanction. If you get married to change your relationship, then you're getting married for the wrong reasons. If you feel you need to prove your love and commitment, then getting married is not the way to do it.

You see, I feel that getting married should change nothing about your relationship. And I know that this then opens up the question, then why do it at all?! Indeed, I would ask this question myself. But I've come to the realisation that this is a false dichotomy, a false supposition that change is important and that marriage should or should not be the catalyst for it. Because of course relationships change every day, and yet they remain constant. Little things change, and sometimes big things change. It is inevitable because it involves two people, and humans by our very nature grow and learn and change and develop. Two people doing this will lead to constant changes throughout a relationship, in priorities, in ways of communicating, in health, in libido, in all sorts of things. But relationships are also constant, the love and commitment and sharing of life is always there. This is why it's such a false premise to assume that one should or should not get married based on whether change may or may not occur.

The other major obstacle for me was feeling that marriage was in some way proving to everyone else how much you loved and were committed to your partner, that it was the ultimate social mechanism for doing this. But that this somehow made it hollow and less meaningful. After all, I need prove to no-one except my partner how much I love and respect them, and there are myriad ways to do that other than marriage. I believe that this still holds true. If you feel you need to prove something to other people then there's something wrong, either with them or with you. Again this argument about needing to prove your love and commitment is false and misleading. Marriage isn't about proving anything, and if it is then you're starting off your marriage on the wrong foot which is potentially very dangerous and destructive. Proving your love or commitment actually isn't about your love or commitment to your partner, it's about issues you have with other people either specifically or generally and your need to feel accepted or approved. And if getting married isn't truly about your love and commitment to your partner, then you shouldn't be getting married at all.

You see, I slowly came to the realisation that if you strip away all the fluff from the institution of marriage (and the wedding stuff) it comes down to one thing.

You. I choose you. I choose you to share my life with. To grow old with. To be my partner, my lover and my best friend, my confidant and my co-conspirator. I want to be with you for the rest of my life. I will always love you and hope you will always love me too. And as a symbol of this, I will sign this bit of paper. It says that I choose you. And you choose me.

Everything else is gravy...