The Last Resort (Revisited)

When I was a young man, I kept a journal for quite a few years.  At some point, I encountered the song
The Last Resort written by Don Henley and Glenn Frey of the Eagles.  I remember writing it down (yes, with a pen and paper), and commenting on it within my journal.  Last week, I heard it on the radio for the first time in quite a while.  It still gives me chills.  Here are the lyrics.

"The Last Resort"

She came from Providence,
the one in Rhode Island
Where the old world shadows hang
heavy in the air
She packed her hopes and dreams
like a refugee
Just as her father came across the sea

She heard about a place people were smilin'
They spoke about the red man's way,
how they loved the land
And they came from everywhere
to the Great Divide
Seeking a place to stand
or a place to hide

Down in the crowded bars,
out for a good time,
Can't wait to tell you all,
what it's like up there
And they called it paradise
I don't know why
Somebody laid the mountains low
while the town got high

Then the chilly winds blew down
Across the desert
through the canyons of the coast,
to the Malibu
Where the pretty people play,
hungry for power
to light their neon way
give them things to do

Some rich men came and raped the land,
Nobody caught 'em
Put up a bunch of ugly boxes,
and Jesus people bought 'em
'nd they called it paradise
The place to be
They watched the hazy sun, sinking in the sea

You can leave it all behind and sail to Lahaina
just like the missionaries did, so many years ago
They even brought a neon sign: "Jesus is coming"
Brought the white man's burden down
Brought the white man's reign

Who will provide the grand design?
What is yours and what is mine?
'Cause there is no more new frontier
We have got to make it here

We satisfy our endless needs and
justify our bloody deeds,
in the name of destiny
and in the name of God

And you can see them there,
On Sunday morning
They stand up and sing about
what it's like up there
They call it paradise
I don't know why
You call someplace paradise,
kiss it goodbye

Of course, reading the words are no where near as powerful as hearing Don Henley sing them.  His tone, his emphasis on certain phrases, his use of pitch, all combine to project one's mind to see what he is singing about, and feel the sadness when we wonder why man tends to destroy what he finds beautiful.  I invariably turn up the volume, sing at the top of my lungs, and cry as Henley sings

"I don't know why" in a falsetto, then finishes with "You call someplace paradise, kiss it goodbye" with the true disgust that we should all feel when we become aware of our treatment of nature.

Whether we harken back to songs like this, written in 1976, or Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, written in 1962, or John Muir's iconic photographs of the Sierra Nevada mountains in California, or perhaps even President Theodore Roosevelt who was extremely proud of his conservation accomplishments, it is abundantly clear that concern for Planet Earth, while recent, has a rich history of advocates across political, social and economic lines.  

It is even more interesting to me, to see how the words of The Last Resort continue to ring true, perhaps even more so in these times of climate change deniers, severe melting of the Arctic, and more violent severe weather occurrences, along with the ever on-going battles by Native Americans to protect what little land they have from further destruction. 

"We satisfy our endless needs and justify our bloody deeds, in the name of destiny and in the name of God."

While I certainly disagree wholeheartedly with the current actions of Brazil's president who rejects interference from other world leaders in relation to the burning of the Amazon as if we all do not have a stake in this situation, I can understand his anger when he comments that we already burned our forests, so isn't it a bit hypocritical for us to condemn his country for doing the same.  We conveniently forget that much of Europe and America were forests before we turned the trees into homes and businesses or just paved them over to improve our transportation systems.  Do as I say, not as I do (or did, in this case). 

"''Cause there is no more new frontier, we have got to make it here".

Yet we continue to act as if technology, or divine intervention, will save us from ourselves, or worse, choose to pretend that new shipping lanes in the Arctic will improve business, therefore improve the world.  All the while imagining that we can escape to the moon or Mars, which of course, means that even if we somehow make it off this rock, it will only be those with the money and power who will get to repopulate those places.  The only choices ordinary people will be offered is where to die, and with whom to share that last experience. 

But Joe, it is such a huge problem, and I am just one person.  What can one person do?

Well, fortunately, people like T Roosevelt, J Muir, R Carson and D Henley, did not just throw up their hands in frustration, but did what they could to bring attention to our suffering environment.  Now, don't get me wrong, it is nearly impossible to live life in the 21st century without adding to the problems of greenhouse gas emissions, single use plastic waste, air and water pollution.  But awareness that there is a problem, does not take any effort other than listening to the Earth and the scientists who study her.

Once we allow that concern to enter our mindset, actions, perhaps small at first, will follow.  Use real silverware and dishes rather than plastic ones.  If there is recycling at your work, make the effort to throw in your recyclables, and if not, establish a collection area.  Same at home, separate your trash from recyclables and investigate where they can dropped off, or when your town might pick them up at your house.  Invest in a water container that you can reuse rather than buying 32 or 36 packs of water every week.  (It still amazes me, a child of the 70's who drank water from a backyard hose, that the bottled water industry is valued at hundreds of billions -  that's B for billions - of dollars).

And, if possible, choose to drive less, especially if you can car pool or combine multiple trips into one trip with a few stops, and choose your next vehicle with an eye towards gas consumption, whether that results in a more fuel efficient car, or a hybrid or an electric.

From there, it might not be so big a step to volunteering at a local chapter of the Sierra Club or some other organization that contributes through water way or highway clean-ups, awareness seminars at local schools and churches, or other such activities that produce positive results.

And, as I did today, sign up for email updates from the National Geographic Planet or Plastic site, and visit the site for more info on just how precarious the state of our planet is becoming. 

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/planetorplastic/

Finally, give a SHIT.  Stop hiding behind "well, I'll be dead soon, so what do I care", or "I am just too busy to care about the planet", or "it is all fake news".

This is real folks, it is happening, and pretending that we are not changing our home for the worse is the same as pooping on your own lawn and advertising the strength of the stench. 

Sometime in the next 20-40 years, we will know for sure the extent of the damage we are doing.  I implore my readers to side with our Big Blue Marble, do what you can, and engage in positive conversations, so when those born in the 21st century are making the decisions, they might be able to thank us for trying, rather than condemn us for our lack of vision.