I don’t like touching people in pools.
There are exceptions, of course. I’d hang onto my kids when they were babies to keep them above the water and I’m happy to get a watery hug from Shannon, my wife (though that hasn’t happened for years… but I already told you she’s my wife, which means we’re married, so perhaps telling you that kind of aquatic romance hasn’t happened in years is redundant).
But other than those very few exceptions I will go to great lengths to avoid touching anyone while swimming.
It creeps me out.
Surely it’d creep them out too.
Flashback to my first experience in a wave pool. You know, one of those huge pools with artificial non-stop waves.
This was the first wave pool I’d ever experienced.
It was also, apparently, brand new and exciting for the other two hundred or so other people jammed into it.
I don’t know if wave pools have improved but this first generation one would send waves at seemingly random intervals that would result in me furiously and futilely paddling in the opposite direction of the strangers it sent me careening into.
While I struggled to stay above water, my girlfriend at the time stood at the side of the pool shouting requests at me.
”What should we do for lunch?”
”Can you make sure no one takes our seats?”
”Keep an eye on our stuff!”
These are all reasonable requests… unless you’re battling to stay alive.
These are all important requests in their own way as well.
However, all of my attention was focused on not touching other people and not drowning.
In that order.
It may seem easy for us who sit in our bathrobes and write newsletter essays on a Sunday morning to acknowledge the inescapable truths and responsibilities of Climate Change.
However, for many I’m sure it seems like one too many unreasonable intangible requests.
Stuck in the wave pool of life.
Trying to stay above water… and, if they’re a bit neurotic, trying not to touch other people.
With reality standing at the side of the pool telling them they need to start doing things that don’t seem to have any immediate benefit to their current focus of not drowning.
Climate Change is real.
It’s fairly unanimous.
It’s fairly evident should you turn on the news or weather channel.
Climate Change responsibility, on the other hand, is a hard sell.
Unless it’s currently burning or blowing your house down.
Then it’s a fairly easy sell.
But otherwise, it’s seemingly intangible.
Climate Change responsibility for many is like asking someone who is trying to stay above water if they wouldn’t mind holding on to some dumbbells because it might make the wave pool a little calmer… maybe… in a hundred years.
It’s a hard sell.
It seems like a lot of effort for no immediate benefit to the aid of staying afloat.
It’s an important sell though. Obviously.
Of course, we, as individuals, must all do little things that will help.
Carbon Tax and then rebates? Uhhh, sure, I guess.
But we can’t keep thinking that the people in the wave pool control the waves, or the poolside cafe, or the chairs, or security.
The people who make money from the wave pool, they control that stuff.
Those in the wave pool of life are busy trying to stay afloat.
They don’t control the wave pool. They’re just in it.
The people who make money from the wave pool, they control that stuff.
Maybe they should step up more.
So, corporate/governmental responsibility?
There we go. That’s the one.
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Climate change isn’t a quick fix. And for those who ignore/don’t believe are not making the effort .W e all need to do everything we can NOW. Even if some of us don’t see the or accept how it affects everyone including ourselves