There are Trees Elsewhere

I watched a TED video that posed the perplexing question that has indeed become the question of our times.

SURELY, when they only had one tree left on Easter Island, the Chieftan's knew that cutting it down was an unsustainable action. WHY the fuck would somebody push the very environment that sustains them, so OBVIOUSLY far beyond the sustainable threshold?

Or in other words,

SURELY, it couldn't go that far?

But I guess it does, and the dividing line is between hoping someone does the right thing and doing the right thing.

Or 'There are trees Elsewhere', look at Victoria, I could probably walk to Sydney in a month, pretty easily. I'd need a tent and some biscuits. But once upon a time, this was a gruelling, year long monstrosity of a journey, because between Sydney and Port Phillip Bay, was thick, unpunctuated bush, full of kangaroos to gore you, koala bears to drop on you, dingos to carry off your baby and Aboriginals so mysterious they legally didn't exist.

But now, it's just paddocks. Paddocks aportioned by squatters, sub divided and sold off to would-be farmers, that clearfelled all the bush, burnt it off and ended up with a monoculture of grass.

Each individual property owner didn't think 'hang on, if I cut down ALL my trees, and Ted cuts down ALL his trees, and Sue cuts down ALL her trees, and Graham cuts down ALL his trees...(several hours later) there won't be ANY trees left!!!' and thus each individual property owner, figured out how many trees they had to leave to ensure enough trees that if everybody followed the same pattern would leave enough trees for everyone.

Except they didn't. I mean they probably asked the question, but thought 'If Ted cuts down ALL his trees, and I DON'T, then Ted will have more grass for more cows and that cunt will be richer than me.' Not noticing that in pioneer days, you were so geographically isolated, there probably wasn't shit to spend money on, except aquiring more land to cut down trees on and plant cows.

Furthermore, perhaps pioneers also didn't understand where oxygen comes from, and thus can be forgiven for thinking trees largely value-less. They probably thought fresh air came from the bible or some shit.

But this is it, the prisoner's dilemma that drives us all into oblivion. An inability for anyone to do the right thing. So long as we are petty jealous, profit-maximising rational persons we are prisoners.

What is needed is to take a deep breath and say 'There are trees right HERE, and even though it may cost me money to keep them here on this patch of earth I control, what the fuck has money ever been good for? I mean REALLY? That new car? Feels like my old car. Those new shoes? They faded after a couple of weeks, I don't like them so much. That girl at the nightclub? She turned out to be a man. There may be trees elsewhere, but I don't trust those cunts to do the right thing. So THESE trees, THESE TREES RIGHT HERE, they can stay.'

Not 'There are plenty of fish in the sea' (one of the least sustainable industries) not 'There are trees elsewhere' (didn't stop the Easter Islanders from having to eat each other) and not 'That cunt is doing it so I have to look after me and mine' that's prisoner mentality.