General Discussion

livetohike

(24,277 posts)

24. I was 17 years old on the first Earth Day. It had a great

Tue Jan 7, 2020, 01:33 PM

Jan 2020

impact on me. I decided not to have children and to live with responsibility towards the environment. A few months later I read Future Shock. That cemented my decisions.

I still have my original copy of the Whole Earth Catalog 🙂.

Edit history

Please sign in to view edit histories.

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

83 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

When I was 20 years old, back in 1965, there were people [View all] MineralMan Jan 2020 OP

We seem to be in a growth paradigm still Beringia Jan 2020 #1

The birth rate in the United States MineralMan Jan 2020 #3

There is an inverse positive effect of the current population growth dynamic. Aristus Jan 2020 #11

Well, that's true. However the gross population in the USA is still MineralMan Jan 2020 #13

this AllaN01Bear Jan 2020 #37

Absolutely. I'd add only that the great shortage ahead of us isn't food - but water sandensea Jan 2020 #15

Yes, potable water is a global crisis. MineralMan Jan 2020 #17

Fortunately, most of the world's continents have gotten their birth rates under control sandensea Jan 2020 #27

Yes. That's true, too. MineralMan Jan 2020 #31

Reminds me of that Peter O'Toole joke about his ex-wife sandensea Jan 2020 #47

LOL! MineralMan Jan 2020 #48

I remember when serious people discussed the concept of ZPG. Zoonart Jan 2020 #32

Yes. Our privilege apparently includes having as many children as MineralMan Jan 2020 #68

I was reading an interesting article on climate change (maybe at Vox?), bullwinkle428 Jan 2020 #2

Well, when sea levels cause water to be lapping MineralMan Jan 2020 #5

Some hard core denialists don't believe wnylib Jan 2020 #8

Pretty soon, movies labeled science fiction will start to come true. CaptYossarian Jan 2020 #4

Sure. Those scenarios have been thought about and MineralMan Jan 2020 #6

We should all have feelings of dispair. Especially since TWO elections have been stolen CaptYossarian Jan 2020 #14

Well, I'd rather see resolve than despair. MineralMan Jan 2020 #16

That's why I mentioned those two elections where the wrong people had second-place victories. CaptYossarian Jan 2020 #34

We'll see in a few months whether we learned anything. MineralMan Jan 2020 #35

One of my favorite dystopian movies is "Judge Dredd" MineralMan Jan 2020 #7

I didn't see that one, probably because Stallone was in it. CaptYossarian Jan 2020 #20

Yes. The movie was a satire, for sure. MineralMan Jan 2020 #21

I'm guessing that Blade Runner is the more likely scenario, without the replicants. GoneOffShore Jan 2020 #41

Some of them are already coming true PatSeg Jan 2020 #44

Think of the genius and optimism of Gene Roddenberry. CaptYossarian Jan 2020 #56

Oh yes PatSeg Jan 2020 #60

Just like Rod Serling and the Twilight Zone. CaptYossarian Jan 2020 #61

My grandfather warned us specifically in 1965, though he used slightly different spelling DFW Jan 2020 #9

My father, in 1962, had one thing to say about all that: MineralMan Jan 2020 #10

My dad told me at age 15 he was in no rush to become a grandfather. DFW Jan 2020 #12

Blaming entire generations is silly. yardwork Jan 2020 #18

There's a wide generation gap between older boomers lambchopp59 Jan 2020 #57

Your generalization of older retired people is inaccurate. Backseat Driver Jan 2020 #71

Good point. The economic inequalities affect all generations. yardwork Jan 2020 #74

Thank you!!!! relayerbob Jan 2020 #19

Silent Spring. Yes. MineralMan Jan 2020 #22

We're alike in this regard as well. I've written poetry and fiction skip fox Jan 2020 #43

I stopped working for others in 1974. MineralMan Jan 2020 #45

In the fall of 1969, while on the lam from the F.B.I. skip fox Jan 2020 #55

Ooh...on the lam from the FBI. MineralMan Jan 2020 #58

The problem with this thinking... Lithos Jan 2020 #23

That's a good point. MineralMan Jan 2020 #25

I was 17 years old on the first Earth Day. It had a great livetohike Jan 2020 #24

Yeah, I have the original first Whole Earth Catalog, too. MineralMan Jan 2020 #28

So cool!! I submitted a few articles to Mother Earth News livetohike Jan 2020 #36

An "interesting life" has always been my goal. MineralMan Jan 2020 #39

The same rhetoric since 1965 Dukkha Jan 2020 #26

Yes. It's a losing battle. The people who should be reading MineralMan Jan 2020 #29

The Hippies were right. OMGWTF Jan 2020 #30

Yeah, well, there have people people all along MineralMan Jan 2020 #33

this AllaN01Bear Jan 2020 #38

LOL! MineralMan Jan 2020 #40

We're not so old (I'm 73) skip fox Jan 2020 #42

Nah. We're old. MineralMan Jan 2020 #46

Agreed hence my username. Didn't put much thought Boomerproud Jan 2020 #49

Every generation has all kinds of people PatSeg Jan 2020 #52

I agree with you.. Hulk Jan 2020 #50

..and we levitated the Pentagon!! samnsara Jan 2020 #51

LOL! MineralMan Jan 2020 #53

I am a firm believer that individuals can only achieve symbolic actions in this fight... Moostache Jan 2020 #54

Yes. The power of the individual is vastly overrated. MineralMan Jan 2020 #59

Thank you MineralMan for giving voice to how many of us feel. n/t 7wo7rees Jan 2020 #62

It's my pleasure. MineralMan Jan 2020 #63

I think our generation was a disaster. NNadir Jan 2020 #64

Actually the Greatest Generation elected Reagan. MineralMan Jan 2020 #65

I don't buy that for a New York second. NNadir Jan 2020 #66

You are correct - the Baby Boomers have created the disaster that present day walkingman Jan 2020 #67

Well, the good news is that these Millenials... NNadir Jan 2020 #80

as my brother said right after KT2000 Jan 2020 #69

K&R MatthewHatesTrump2 Jan 2020 #70

You started a good thread, MM. My seminal reading was The Population Bomb... Hekate Jan 2020 #72

Thanks! Your insights are always welcome. MineralMan Jan 2020 #75

Labeling People by generations is like labeling them by astrology. MarcA Jan 2020 #73

The unknown history of boomer activism DBoon Jan 2020 #76

I don't have children, but to take credit for not doing so is a stretch. One of the Doodley Jan 2020 #77

It is the decision that is the thing. MineralMan Jan 2020 #79

You decided not to have children who would make the world a better place? Why? Doodley Jan 2020 #82

There is no way to predict what your potential children would do. MineralMan Jan 2020 #83

It's in our nature to want more xyoungblood Jan 2020 #78

Not all generation ignored the warnings uponit7771 Jan 2020 #81