We Could Be Rockstars

The year is 1977, about eight years before I would enter the world.

On June 26th Elvis Presley would walk out on stage at the Indianapolis Market Square theatre to the applause of 36,000 hands belonging to adoring fans, playing the hits we all love to this day.

In August, he would be dead. Poor eating habits, years of drug abuse and a devil-may-care lifestyle would catch up to him in the form of an arterial blockage. The King of Rock n Roll would be found slumped over on his porcelain throne in a passing that surprises nobody in the modern era. Every single one of us can look back at the diet he partook in or the drugs he consumed regularly and not a single one of us is shocked by the cause of death.

With the benefit of hindsight we look back and wonder if he would've done something differently. Would The King cut back on a few Ice-Cream-PB&Banana Sandwiches if he knew eating so many of them would lead to cardiac arrest? Do you think Elvis would have said "no thanks" to his last handful of codeine pills? He was fit when he was younger, do you think that he would've kept up a fitness regimen to avoid death on the loo at age 42?

Hindsight is a terrible thing only afforded to the living, but only through that lens do we get a clearer vision of cause and effect.

The world we live in today is the most technologically advanced civilization to ever exist on this planet. Much like the King in his prime, we walk out into the world stage to the waving hands of nearly eight billion people; however not unlike Elvis, we're unwell. Much like him though, we're very good at ignoring the signs.

The climate is changing dramatically and the science shows that we're contributing to our own destruction. The United States is the #2 biggest contributor to greenhouse gas output and the number 1 country on that list (China) doubles our output at four times the population. Around 30% of that output in the US is cause by transportation and none of this is new information. We know this, it's readily available everywhere. Elvis suffered chronic diabetes due to over-consumption. The warning signs were there for him too.

Elvis ended his show in July with "Can't Help Falling in Love With You", inarguably his most beautiful song. No doubt his fans swooned and swayed to the sound of his gorgeous voice crooning the crowd. I listen to it today with the knowledge that it was his last and it brings me to tears even now. The King knew how to sing directly to your heart and it's a bitter fate that his heart would attack him in the end.

Don't let this age be our final song, beautiful as it is. Humanity has yet to reach harmony though we're on the edge of conquering the barbarisms of our past. The technology we have at our disposal enable a future far greater than anything science fiction could imagine. We shouldn't sit complacently ignoring the warning signs. We shouldn't neglect our world's health or relish in the panacea of half-assed efforts.

Let's commit to small lifestyle changes. Eat a more sustainable diet. Ride a bike once or twice a week. Commit to using public transport more. Buy less single-use plastics and recycle your cans. The solutions aren't new either, we know what we should do. Be an Environmental Radical by taking small sustainable steps towards a greener future because the people alive to read this today aren't going to be afforded the benefit of Hindsight.

I know we can do great things as a people, so in the great words of The King himself:

"A little less conversation, a little more action, please."

/endRant