Robed and bearded transcendental figures. Arms raised in blessing. Can I walk outside and bless my neighborhood? Instead I have a feeling like “Oh, you silly ragamuffins who happened to find homes – what a rag-tag bunch. How about those semi-random events that have seen us living side by side in this terrific neighborhood”. There they go in their car. There they go in their car. There they go in their car.
Thinking along these terms I start to wonder about population. So many people in the world. So many people living around me – and I live in a smaller-sized city. Wouldn’t a decline in population mean a better standard of living for those that, um, those that . . . having trouble finishing this sentence. Those that remain? The remnant population? Those left after some cataclysm? The changed population level is just a hypothetical so I guess I refer to a hypothetical smaller population. (Everyone will be hypothetically really smart if not straight-up enlightened, too.)
The arguments go that the hypothetical smaller population would live in a less polluted environment. They would have stronger community relations. They would make conscious decisions instead of going around being cajoled by trends and advertisers. But overall, and this is where my thoughts on population initially went, the hypothetical smaller population would live in a world of beauty.
A side note on community. Does community, having a strong community (def.?) equal beauty? More community, more beauty? Years ago I was fired up about community – if only people would talk more – surprising that I would get involved in such a manner given my innate introvertism. Lo, I went forth and actually did a thing at a local movie house, sponsoring a viewing of a film and a subsequent discussion. Let’s all get together and talk about it.
So my thesis this morning was that with less people we could have more beauty in the world. This impulse, for full, immediate, disclosure, was wrought by my dislike of cars and the inhealth that is pervasive in this country. A big topic while running in town and encountering others (generally, in their cars). The other facet of my argument was a concession to the fact that currently, as the population stands, people are, quite simply, living. The billions are supported, albeit in widely differing levels of comfort. There is some talk that a reallocation of resources could see everyone living at a wholesome level –upper-end outliers (the American way of life (AWOL)) of course being reduced.
That caveat countenanced, how can I move on? A world with less people. Perhaps something to get riled up about: the perfect thing to get riled up about in that the force at play is so large. Picking such a topic has its own inherent appeals. It goes hand in hand with politics: it is politics. Insoluble problems that get settled in favor of either those in power or get settled in favor of lightly-steered semi-impersonal trends. How often do our thoughts tend in this direction? Is a seed planted by insecurity?
Rumination on the world and my place in the world. From someone not necessarily living in the lap of luxury but at least having enough time to think about things.
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