Que Sera Sera

Que Sera Sera

Whatever will be, will be

The future’s not ours to see

Que sera, sera

What will be, will be.

This was my Uncle’s favourite song, which is very odd given the fact that his first love was Opera. But, people are odd, so this kind of contradiction now seems quite normal to me. This song jumped into my head yesterday when I received an email from a climate scientist who is looking for funds to attend COP26. You may be wondering why Que sera sera came into my head when I was thinking about COP26. Well, here is the “logic”: Que sera sera  pretty much sums up my attitude as the world’s climate scientists get ready for COP26. Yes, there is more urgency and more understanding of the unfolding man made climate disaster but there is simultaneously more evidence that short term, status quo thinking is making any real change so slow as to be ineffectual. This rather somber mood of mine was initiated by a book sent to me by a friend entitled Bloody Harvest [2009, by David Matas and David Kilgour] which is about the harvesting of organs of Falung Gong member for the CCP [Chinese Communist Party]. Here is a part of the introduction:

Falun Gong is a set of exercises with a spiritual foundation which was banned in China in 1999. Those who did the exercises after 1999 were arrested and asked to denounce the practice. Those who did so were released. Those who did not were tortured. Those who still refused to recant after torture disappeared.

What happened to the disappeared? It was claimed by Annie and others that they were organ-harvested, that organ-pillaging was being inflicted on unwilling Falun Gong practitioners at a wide variety of locations, pursuant to a systematic policy, in large numbers. Organ-harvesting is a step in organ transplants. The purpose is to provide organs for transplants. Transplants do not necessarily have to take place in the same place as the location of the organ-harvesting. The two locations are often different; organs harvested in one place are shipped to another place for transplanting. The claim was further that the organs are harvested from the practitioners while they are still alive. The practitioners are killed in the course of the organ-harvesting operations or immediately thereafter. These operations are a form of murder.

The book investigates and finds proof for this claim. Now, I know this is old news. But the fact is we, the supposed “good people” who believe in human rights and the rule of law did nothing significant about this travesty. In a similar manner we have not responded to the genocide of Tibetans or Uighurs , not stopped the growth of our CDN carbon/methane emissions that shred any hope of meeting our Paris Accord agreements, and not significantly reduced the number of boil water advisories on First Nations Reservations here in Canada.

A sign in Neskantaga First Nation, where people have been living with a long-term drinking water advisory for 26 years.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ottawa-new-website-term-drinking-water-advisories-1.5943388 

Have there been good intentions? Yes. But the road to hell is paved with good intentions. It is action and results that matter – and on that front we are, on many fronts, falling woefully short. Why is that? One theory I have is that we have too many large challenges are built into the structure of our socio-economic-political system that are very difficult to change. Furthermore, while there are efforts to fix these problems [those mentioned, add opioid crisis, income inequality, etc.] we are “trying” to do too much and thus disperse our resources and, more importantly, are still trying to “fix” problems while maintain our worship of GDP growth, for any real “fix” requires a fundamental restructuring our socio-economic-political system – something most governments are loath to do as this entails short term pain for long term gain. Simply put, if any government did “the right thing” the odds are they would lose the next election, because the positive fruit of their choices would not become visible until many years in the future.

So, does that fill me with despair? No. Do you consider me a “doomer”? I hope not! The fact is, there are many smart and capable people able to make the necessary changes to prevent the collapse of our current culture – it is just that they are not being taken seriously at the moment. The good news is that when they will be listened, and when we make the needed changes, life, for human and nonhumans, will improve. Will that be too late? Yes and no. Yes, it will be too late to avoid unnecessary pain and suffering but no, it does not mean “the end”. It just means the transition, which has begun, will be bumpier than necessary. The current labour shortages, supply chain bottlenecks and energy shortages/price increases all being a case in point.

So, what can you do? Accept that the attitude of Que sera sera is actually quite optimistic. We do our best, but the future is an unknown. All we can do is our best TODAY. Today you and I can do whatever we can to bring joy into the world and to make our impact on life on this planet a positive one. All you and I can do is our very best and stop fretting about everything else is beyond your control. Then sing this song, made famous by Doris Day, smile and remember that life is sweet and should be enjoyed and appreciated, just like a good chocolate bar or beautiful sunset.

Que Sera Sera