Kiddo and I were channel surfing on Sunday night. We were flipping between Grey’s Anatomy and a documentary on SBS on climate change. It was something about the threat of a coming ice age.
I wasn’t a convinced fan of GA and I often watched it only because Tress and Kiddo seem to like it. On Sunday night however, kiddo actually wanted to watch the documentary on SBS. We were also playing cards at the same time so we weren’t really watching either properly.
We did however catch a footage which said major shifts to herald the next ice age would take place as early as 2012.
2012. That is a mere 4 years away. Just how serious is this threat? I wish we had watched the program more closely. Not that an SBS documentary is necessarily an authoritative spiel on something as controversial as climate change, especially if this one says an ice age is a likely outcome. If leading figures such as Nicolas Stern and his school seriously think we are closer to serious global damage than we previously think, why does the inertia of inaction continue?
There was a recent movie I think, which showed a cold snap so severe the whole world froze in a matter of days. It starred what’s his name – the guy who was my favourite actor for a long time. He was in “Inner Space” with Martin Short, obviously as the leading man. He was also in many other movies including the recent one about the 24-style movie on the assassination of the American President played out repeatedly based on different persons’ views. A bit like Kurosawa’s Rashomon.
The name of that actor just would not come up – you know how it is – it’s back there behind some layers of cells in my brain somewhere but it just refuses to show itself. Anyway, in that movie the climate change caused a severe pressure differential which caused the temperature to plunge. There was a scene about some oceanic temperature monitoring station north of England somewhere and a scientist there was watching a United game. When they realised they were all going to die, they all took out a grand old scotch for a last swill. What a way to go – watching United’s game with a glass of very old scotch.
2012 – that is only 4 years away. Kiddo would only be 18. If she does well over the next few years, she’d be spending the first year in university. If however you know there’s a good chance you’d not survive beyond 18 years old, what would you do? We’re spending our 4th year here in Melbourne – it feels like it wasn’t too long ago when we first got here. That’s how long 4 years is. Sure, because so many things happened in the last 3.5 years it felt like it zipped past pretty quickly and now that we’re settled, it may not feel like that in the next 4 years. It is still, not at all very long to do…
No, it’s not Kevin Costner.
I don’t know what Tress and I would do either. Sometimes it is easier to just go on doing what we do day in and day out. It would be so much more difficult to sit down to plot your remaining days to see what the altered course should be. That’s inertia I suppose. It takes more energy to change something, instead of just maintaining status quo. Surely since life ends at some point anyway and there could well be something within the next 4 years which could end life as we know it (before the ice age hits anyway), why expand energy to change things if we are happy with life as it is now?
It’s Dennis something.
I’d not spend 10+ hours in the office everyday, that’s for sure. I’d come in later and leave earlier. What would I do with the extra time I have? I’d go and spend more time talking to Tress or kiddo or other friends and relatives. I’d have a coffee with someone I know and chat for a whole hour every morning, before coming into the office. I’d also spend the full hour during lunch, and take the time with someone, anyone, to talk and to listen. I’d go back earlier, spend time with kiddo to cook and do things together. I’d give up the cheap wine and drink better ones which I normally reserve for special occasions. Every day would be a special occasion to drink fantastic wine. We’d buy and cook different foods. I’d spend more time reading the Bible and other books about Christianity – if I was going to see God pretty soon, I’d better spend time finding out more about Him.
Not Lillee, Hutchins, Hopper…Dennis something… still not coming…
I’d also fly back to Malaysia to spend time with extended family, starting of course with my mother, my siblings and their families, numerous uncles and aunties, my grandmother and all those other people who meant so much to us in our lives in Malaysia. I’d go away with them and spend days just talking, eating and drinking and helping them prepare to meet our Maker. After weeks or even months, I’d come back to Melbourne and start to spend time with people I had come to know on only very superficial terms. I’d look them up and get to know them more and talk about their preparations for the after life. There is so much to say and do.
Not Sutherland, not Irwin, not Mortimer… Dennis something – still only Dennis something.
Life really has only 1 certainty (taxes can be avoided if you try hard enough) and that is death. That SBS doco suggested 4 years. Really though, it can be anytime, due to any reason.
Quaid! Dennis Quaid – that’s him. Can you blame me for not remembering a name like that? OK maybe I really am old… He was nevertheless, a favourite actor of mine. He’s older now of course and I haven’t watched any of his movies for a couple of years now I think. The last one I watched was the one about him becoming a professional rookie baseball player at an age when most baseball players are contemplating retirement. Some chasing after your dreams sort of a movie, if you know what I mean. He was also in that movie with the ice age onset, where he played the role of the scientist who had a son trapped in a city library and he trekked cross-continental to rescue the son. Yeah he tends to play that sort of heroic roles. I’m not sure I have ever seen him play a villain.
2012 – wow, we need a Don Quixote approach and be philosophical, and maybe a Dennis Quaid style of hope.
Ante 