Big Cypress
Things are not simple. If they were simple, even we humans could have figured many things out. But so many things overlap, and become contradictory, filled with unexpected consequences and unexplained results. It’s difficult not to just fall back on being ironic and a bit cynical. I’ll try not to do that.
“Show, don’t tell”, the people who write for a living always instruct. This is what I saw:
For a change of pace we left the city for a while. We fought our way over the strange highways, with the shifting lanes and the unexpected construction sites. The GPS was repeating itself every quarter of a mile, so we shut it off and depended on paper maps and road signs. Imagine that. Are we the only ones who have actual maps in our car?
Out of the city, on to a big road, driving passed all the chain restaurants, through the lane drop, passed all the taco places, through the next lane drop and out where civilization ends. Driving though what is left of North America’s vast continental drainage area. It has now been cut down to about 20% of it’s original size. We drove all the way to the Big Cypress National Reserve. The free flowing waters are now all controlled by channels and locks that were built to protect the areas that people decided could be put to better use than just letting the water flow. The creatures that lived there, the panthers, the ibis, the anhingas, the heron, the woodpeckers, Florida gar, and of course, the alligators, did not have a vote in the decisions that were made about there habitat.But, I’m not going to get condescending or preachy. I just want a moment to say what I think is going on. A trip to the wilderness can be enlightening.
Have you read Thinking Fast or Slow, by Daniel Kahneman, the guy who won a Noble prize in economics, even though he is a psychologist? His framework of describing how humans operate helps explain what is going on all around the world, especially in Washington, and in the Big Cypress Swmp. Dr. Kahneman explains that due to our evolutionary history, we humans tend to think fast, and to react quickly, especially in new situations, when we are less sure of ourselves. Rather than take the time to rationally gather facts, think through all of the possible causes and effects, and then make a decision, most of the time we let our emotions be our guide. We go with our “gut,” which means that we tend to make decisions based more on what we are familiar with, what our families and culture expects us to do, and what is the fastest and easiest for us to do. In order to survive for the hundreds of thousands of years that humanoids have been mostly walking on two legs, we had to think and react quickly. We had to know immediately whether what was coming out of that swamp was a friend or foe? Should we fight or flee? Can we eat it, or will eat eat us?
That’s why today, as I stood there watching some of those creatures spend their day just lulling around, or, in the case of the alligators, just sleeping in the mud, I felt I had some insight into what was happing in America. I realized how many people feel they need to “think fast,” in order to survive. We are much more interested in how things will affect us now, than in what may happen in three months or fifty years.
“Take the money and Run.”
“Strike, while the Iron is hot.”
“A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.”
Humans have learned that short-term actions work. They may not always work out for the best, but often enough, they at least works for now, and what might of happened if we had spent more time planning, is difficult to measure. And if they don’t work, you’re not going to be around to explain.
Right now, all over the world, exemplified by what is happening in Washington and the Big Cypress, people are disagreeing over whether to think fast or slow. Should we take the most we can grab now, or plan for the long-term. Do we do what’s best for me and mine, and let everyone else just worry about themselves also. None of this cooperation and sharing stuff, too risky. Someone may cheat us, so we had better be the ones who make the first move.
We are being shown some extreme examples of people in high places living “right now, all for me” lives. This happens in a world in which so much is uncertain. No one can really say what opportunities will be around tomorrow. Who knows when their job could disappear, if their wife won’t run off with another woman, if the people with an accent will be loudly celebrating different holidays in this neighborhood. It’s best to just make the most of now, and figure out what comes next later.
The current mentality is for me to take my money now, even if you lose yours. I’m going to have sex with a porn star now, because it feels good now, and I’ll deal with my wife and the new baby later. If you make me look bad, I’m going to make you look bad, even if I just make up lies to do so. I’m going to do whatever makes me feel the best I can, right now.
That’s what happened to the Big Cypress Swamp. It’s clear now that the swamps are being destroyed, and that it’s being happening because Florida decided that it was better in the short-term to literally drain the swamp and build new houses. My father-in-law moved into one of those houses. My wife and I have been coming down here to get away from the New England winter. We want to play on the golf courses. We want the water in the swimming pools. We want to drive on the roads to get to the restaurants and eat the fish. We want to do that now, because we may not be around that long. So, I guess some of this is our fault.
None of those behaviors were harmful when there was hundreds of us doing that, or maybe even thousands, but now there are many millions of us criss-crossing Florida, especially in the winter. Rather than jump up and say “NO” you cold (old) people from New England, go home. Stop ruining our natural, beautiful, healthy continental drainage system, the people of Florida said, come down and give us your money. We will pave our roads, build new houses and sell them to you. We will build stores and restaurants all around you and sell you furniture that you would never buy in New England. We will do whatever is necessary so that we can take your money.
Everyone sees that the water is rising. Everyone is aware that many of the species are dying. Everyone knows that the hurricanes come more often and the new houses that some people just bought just fell apart from the water and wind. But since that didn’t happen to everyone, the rest of the people will forget about it soon..
And when it does happen, we will deal with it. Well, really, we won’t, but we will promise that we will, and we will at least look shocked for a while. We will also hope that in the long-term, we will be Ok, even if you aren’t, because hey, that’s the choice we are all making together.
We are choosing short-term pleasure and quick profits over long-term peace and prosperity. We are selling out for a $1.50 more in our pay-checks, and that allows a very few people to see $400,000 more in theirs. We are overlooking corruption, as long as we get some benefit, such as a condo or a golf course on the wetlands that should be left open to drain the floods.
We are choosing to live in today’s America, where the only value is My Money, Now! I may have to throw you out of the country, cheat you our of your wages, sell you products that break, seduce you to buy things you don’t need, and I may have to watch you die from chronic illnesses becasue you can’t afford to see a doctor. Not to mention the loss of the panthers, the birds, the fish, the tress and the grasses.
Sorry, but hey, it’s my money.
I will not admit to you that I realize that this will all end badly. That someone will find a way to take most of my money from me too, and then I’ll really be pissed-off — Look, those algorithms just dropped the stock market 2000 points.
I know that once a society caves in to corruption and deception, especially from the top, it never ends well. That’s what happens in Shithole countries. But I guess, we will have to deal with it then.
Until then, Take the money and run. (push on the link, and clap along).
