The age of Aquarius refers to an astrological event, but also to the advent of the New Age movement of the 60s and 70s. The song of that name comes from the ’67 musical, Hair. It’s on Wikipedia if you are interested. I consider myself fortunate to have been born in 1949. I experienced it all. Elvis, the Beatles, the Tonados. In my college summer hols (’66 or ’67) I volunteered at a youth volunteer camp (Concordia Youth Volunteer Camps) at Walpole Highway, near Wisbech. I met young people from all over the globe. We were set to pick fruit and weed gladioli; not all the time, of course. We were allowed, as a group, to sight see places nearby. Although a working holiday, it’s the best way to share experiences and dispel misunderstandings. I had a lot of fun, even did the cooking for a day, which I am pleased to say, everyone enjoyed. Take note, no drugs, no sex, no booze. We didn’t need those things to enjoy ourselves!
Which leads me right into the ‘Summer of Love’ in ’67. Ask someone older than me, and they will tell you it was all about Hippies, free love, drugs, loud music and gender equality. Perhaps, but I didn’t see any of that. What I saw was an attempt to draw attention to, yes, gender equality, and the plight of Earth’s ecosystem. That’s 46 yrs. ago! Have we All fallen asleep all that time! Gender equality is coming apace, but poor old Earth, she hasn’t had a look in. Now we have Global Warming and Peak Oil. And people raging against wind turbines. Honestly! (Forgot the rant alert!) I have been interested in these issues since that summer in ’67. Global Warming was a concern then, though we didn’t think much about oil, and other resources, running out. Well, the time to think has passed. There is no more time. Sadly, for All of us, whatever we do now will make No difference. Some are used to the belief, if they are middle aged or older, that worst comes to the worst, we won’t be around to see it. Wrong. Within 10 yrs. or so, things well get rough. In non scientific terms, Mother Earth is hurting, badly. She needs our help. We need our help. It has been said, that ‘She’ will recover in time, as will the ecosystem. We will not. Nothing can save us, but us. Not even the silver space ship (see words to song After the Gold Rush, by Neil Young, above or below).
So, what to do ? Lets see, what about quite a few more wind turbines ? One objection, they look ugly; well, so do electricity pylons and radio masts, but we put up with them, by and large. Probably because we have to. ‘They blot the landscape’. I recall a cartoon which depicted two gents driving along a motorway cut into the countryside. One points out a wind farm to one side and says ‘look at that! How awful!’ ; or words to that effect. Point is, of course, he can’t see what’s directly below his backside: 150 foot wide (or more) track gouged out of beautiful countryside and filled with Tarmac and polluting vehicles.
It’s not my intention, here, to tell you all that’s going off in sustainable energy solutions, or even the science of Global Warming. Information (masses of it) is readily available on the World Wide Web. Suffice it to say, wether this Warming is caused by ‘man’ or some other agency is irrespective. The damage is, and will be, done. We ‘know’ oil is not limitless and has already passed Peak. That is, there is not much ready available. All the ‘easy’ stuff has gone. No panic, as long as we cut down our gas and electricity usage. I know how difficult that is, my chilblains tell me so. There are many, many scientists, technologists, companies and universities (some working together) working on projects that have the potential to dig us out of our hole. But they all will not succeed if they are not given support and funding (from World Governments and venture capitalists). Right now.
It’s been a day since I left off this post. Forgot where I was (or am, or will be!) Snow! That’ll do. We are experiencing snow again this year. Not unusual, given variations in the (Arctic?) slip stream. Due to global weather change? :perhaps. Any road up, that’s not what I was going to say. In my youth, decades ago now, snow was a frequent visitor. Anyone around, in the UK, will remember the winter of ’63. Actually, I didn’t think of it as a disaster; I was busy having too much fun. Building igloos, snow men, snow ball making machines etc. was good for my imagination, though I had to help clear the white stuff from wherever. As far as I remember, I still went to school, health and safety or not. Not much heating in schools, then. It depended on how fast the caretaker could shovel the coke into the boiler! As you would expect from us ‘old timers’ (don’t like that term much for some reason) I still had my paper rounds, morning and evening, to do. Getting into bed wasn’t much fun, though. You’ve’d guessed, no central heating or electric blankets in them days.
Ah, when I were a lad! I didn’t have to put the chickens and ducks to bed, so I’d better shift.
See yer all.
andrewmstevenson 