AstroTurf is why I surrendered
I have found the enemy and he is us. – Pogo
AstroTurf is coming to this Condo that I am currently living at in Kelowna, BC. Take a look at the picture above: that is outside the window where I now sit. Yes, its perfectly good grass, and not a lot of it. There is more around the corner, but its also not a lot. Yes, it’s true that Kelowna is very dry and very hot in the summer. Yes, it needs watering. But still, people here voting to choose AstroTurf??? How about a beautiful Zen rock garden if you want to be “Green” and save water? I really thought we had evolved past that way of thinking, given what we now know how evil AstroTurf is. Well, as usual, I have underestimated the power of human stupidity and shortsightedness. Sigh. I surrender.
“It’s a quiet, humble surrender, a waving of the flag at the end of our sad attempt to cheat the basic laws of nature”. – Eleanor
Let’s start with a quick review of how toxic AstroTurf is. “Artificial turf contains hundreds of harmful chemicals like lead, heavy metals, benzene, arsenic, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), PFAS, and phthalates, some of which are cancer-causing (carcinogens), neurotoxins, and/or endocrine disruptors. Even new “safer” alternatives for the turf infill contain carcinogens and neurotoxins (e.g., lead, PAHs). Unfortunately, there are gaps in what we know about synthetic turf because manufacturers are not required by law to reveal all of the chemicals used. The grass blades and backing in synthetic turf is made with the use of PFAS (known as “forever chemicals”). PFAS chemicals are endocrine (hormone) disruptors and linked to decreased sperm count, as well as increased rates of infertility, risk of cancer, immune disorders, and more. It can get moldy over time and experience a buildup of animal/bird feces and related harms, thus requiring ongoing disinfection. This type of turf can also reach dangerous temperatures of over 160o F in the summer sun, while natural grass rarely exceeds 100o F. Kids have complained of skin burns and extreme heat penetrating their athletic shoes. What is put on the field does not stay on the field. Synthetic turf breaks down into smaller pieces, including microplastics.” [1]
Need I say more? Yes, we have found the enemy and he is us. I find myself unable to blame other people – even that unmentionable person in the White House. Sure, he might not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but clearly the owners of this Condo aren’t either. So I guess I’ve had to accept the thesis of the recent CACOR talk by Dr. William Rees entitled “Our obsolescent brains“. He basically claims:
“that sapiens evolved in simpler times when both the social and biophysical environments posed only modest challenges to the evolving central nervous system. As a result, even modern techno-industrial (MTI) people are equipped with what are basically paleolithic brains with a corresponding repertoire of emotions, behavioural predispositions, and survival strategies. These ancient innate qualities were once highly adaptive, having enabled stone-age humans to survive through the millennia. Times have changed; cultural and technological evolution have vastly outpaced bio-evolution. In effect, the human enterprise has merged with the ecosphere to create a global socio-ecological ‘environment’ of such mind-boggling complexity that H. sapiensis now maladapted to the world of our own making. This presentation shows how ‘paleolithic’ responses to our modern predicament puts humanity in danger of being ‘selected out.’ [2]
Ouch! So I guess we may not be the super being that we once thought we were. In fact, I propose to go even further than Dr. Rees. How about entertaining this idea? The larger the group we are part of the less “agency” we feel, the result being that our group intelligence goes down because we become subservient to some artificial group norm – usually created by 1 leader who sets the tone – and we become less and less “homo sapiens”, more and more paleolithic and eventually – and I think we are this latter stage – we approach the mental acuity of a yeast cell that simply reproduces by consuming every possible resource available while excreting waste [alcohol] that kills it. The biological term for single celled organisms that do this is “ecological suicide”. [3] Sound familiar? Sound like us? Could it be that what Dr. Rees calls “the human enterprise that has merged with the ecosphere to create a global socio-ecological ‘environment“ is just one giant super bug? A giant, cell that just desires more copies of itself…. until its waste contaminate the environment so much that it kills itself? Why does this seem to be the way the teeming billions of human behave? We are the most intelligent species to appear on the face of the planet, and yet we are behaving no different than some yeast cells? How can this be? Is this even possible? I have no idea, but what I do know that I have met many very, very smart and very, very GOOD individuals but no smart and good big groups.
Perhaps all we need is to live in small groups. Perhaps all we need is more individual agency. Perhaps all we need is to experience more directly the result of our choices. Perhaps things have to get a lot worse before they can get better. I don’t know. But I surrender to AstroTurf. Clearly many humans in the modern world still think that AstroTurf is better than grass. To that truth I surrender. When that attitude changes, then, and only then, do we stand a chance to stop toxifying the world that gives us life. Do we have a chance to avoid the fate of yeast cells? Of course! However, until we realize our full potential as human beings instead of behaving like starving yeast cells:
It seems that most people believe that it is better to be happy in fool’s paradise.
Why? Because with knowledge comes pain.
The less you know, the happier you are.
And now this paradise of fools may be coming to an end.
References
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