Lighten up!

The world will not end if we turn on our lights.  Believe it or not, some people are not sure about that fact.

Why will I turn my lights ON this Earth Hour?

Last year for Earth Hour, a rather angry and self righteous woman came up to me and said that my pollution was poisoning the air.  She had a lit cigarette in her hand as she accused me.  She seemed to think that if I sat in the dark for an hour, it would make everything better.

I think it is time for a little perspective.

Our air is cleaner than it has been in a hundred years.  So is our water and so is our soil.  People are living longer than ever before.  Every Olympics new records are set.  Make no mistake, we are healthier and stronger than we have ever been.

Doubtless you have seen the articles in the news revealing the massive fraud that was global warming.  It seems that cooler heads have finally prevailed. 

That angry lady still says that my pollution is heating up the earth and is going to melt the icecaps in thirty thousand years. 

In five hundred years we have gone from Columbus to the Moon.  In five hundred more who knows where we will be.

I know we will be able to handle it.  I know that you also believe that we will build some really incredible stuff in the next five hundred years.  Cancer will likely be cured.  We will almost certainly have many colonies on other worlds.  The sky will no longer be the limit to our imaginations.

So I do not believe in the fearmongering that some try to sell today.  But some people still do.  I read in the news all the time how this chatter stresses people out, some to the point of breaking.

So here is what I'm going to do.  I'm going to turn my lights on for Earth Hour.  I'm going to show everyone that the sky will not fall.  My celebration will show the whole town what a wonderful society we have built that enables one private citizen to literally light up a town.

Rather than succumb to their dark world view, I'm going to lighten up.  Hopefully, others will see what I'm doing and realize that not everyone thinks that their future is dark.  This life is full of great stuff and endless possibilities.  The future looks very bright indeed.

So I'm going to have a party.  I'll be turning on every light I can for an hour and enjoying a society that allows us this freedom.

You are welcome to join us if you like.  I think we have something worth celebrating.