Peter reminded me about this clip of George Carlin talking about Earth Day.

I’ve felt the same way. We’re not saving the Earth, the Earth is fine. It’s been here for billions of years and it will keep on kicking for billions more. But we little arrogant pimples on the face of the Earth? We’re the problem, and we’re what’s at risk of going away. We’re not saving the Earth, we’re saving our own irresponsible butts.

Here’s a useful bit of information folks: eventually, we all go away. May not be what you want, but life isn’t fair, it won’t ever be fair no matter how much you whine and try, and you won’t always get what you want. Eventually you come to terms with the cold hard fact that Mother Nature prefers balance; she will always self-correct things (even if it takes a million years, because she’s got the time and patience); and while you might win some insignificant battle here and there, she will always win the war.

Does this mean to give up and not try? I think it means one should consider their actions. When I first became a homeowner I channeled my inner Hank Hill and wanted the best looking lawn on the block. Then Mother Nature had the final say, because the Central Texas summer sun just doesn’t like grass, not at least without a lot of water, which 1. gets costly, 2. takes water away from more important things, like me drinking it. Over time I found balance between keeping a fair lawn and knowing how Mother Nature liked to be.

You can spend your whole life paddling upstream, fighting the current. What do you get for it? How much progress do you make? Instead, go with the flow. It makes for a more enjoyable journey. Sure, sometimes you’ll have to paddle to avoid some rocks or maybe get over to where the stream branches because that way looks more interesting. But in the end you can fight it or roll with it, and most times learning to go with the flow really yields more satisfying results.