Too big to fix

“The real problem of humanity … we have Paleolithic emotions; medieval institutions; and godlike technology.” —EO Wilson

I have been running into some great quotes lately.  The above is from an Atlantic article.  Much of what I have read recently has centered on nuclear warfare.  I just finished Daikon by Samuel Hawley, a novel about Japan retrieving an unexploded American atomic bomb right before Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  The tale is well told and the science riveting.

The Atlantic article spoke of how close we came to WWIII during the Cuban Missile Crisis, which I remember clearly.  It was odd to consider imminent death as a young teenager.  Atomic and nuclear weapons are an emotional load many of us have carried all our lives. Crawl under your desk if the alarm sounds!  I read Nevil Shute’s book On the Beach when I was 12.  It pictures an apocalyptic world where the last remaining people are on a submarine.  I have never forgotten it.  The world was scarier after the Manhattan Project.  

Another recent article I read spoke about John Kelly running interference between Donald Trump, China and nuclear war during Trump’s last administration.  I am too old to crawl under my desk and now I know that it’s pointless.

This morning my partner and I assembled a bed frame from Wayfair.  It looked simple –  a four- sided wooden frame with wooden feet and slats.  We could do the job.  How tough could it be?  

We forgot to factor in was John’s poor vision , my arthritis, and our bad backs.  We also both like to lead, a trait never helpful on DYI projects. Fortunately we both have a good sense of humor.  The best laugh came when we realized that three legs of the frame pointed down and one pointed up.  Production stopped until we stopped laughing.

There was nothing wrong with the kit.  The issues were all about the assemblers.  We forget we are 77.  (When you reach that age, you’ll realize how easy this is!)

The only issue with the bed frame was the little sticker on the slats, which I found as  I untaped them.  

This product can expose you to chemicals including arsenic, which is known to the State of California to cause cancer.  For more information, go to http://www.P65Warnings.ca.gov

Arsenic!  They don’t mention that it is a universally  known poison.  I continued the assembly.  This may be my last bed for more than one reason.  Remind me not to chew on the slats!

As a tribe, we have an incredible ability to ignore peril.

There was a brilliant (read terrifying) image of a man comprised of endless plastic in this morning’s New York Times.   (You are Contaminated by David Wallace-Wells.) 

In laboratories we create things that appear helpful.  The cost of such inventions only appear years later. Many of the issues seem too big to fix.

I submit that mankind has absolutely no business creating nuclear weapons.