All those left behind
The sad story of the people that stayed behind, in Kabul and the Louisiana coast after hurricane Ida
There was a lot of sad news today. At least 100.000 people, and possibly many more who might be eligible for expedited U.S. visas, stayed behind in Afghanistan when the last American military plane left. Now all their hope for escape is lost, and they start a new uncertain future under the Taliban.
Meanwhile, in the U.S., the thoughts go out to those that stayed behind on the Louisiana coast. Unfortunately, hurricane Ida proved to be the monster that experts had predicted it to become. Today, an estimated 2 million people remained without power, and social media is filled with pictures of flooding and devastation.
I see some references to climate change, just some. There have always been hurricanes, but as the oceans get warmer their destructive power increases. It doesn't have to be that way. We can stop climate change. We know how to do it, we also have all the technology we need. What lacks is the will and the effective governance that we need worldwide to change course.
But changing the system means that those in power will have to change, and since they are by definition the ones that gained most the way we had our society organized until now, they are the least interested in doing so. That is not typically the case in your country or your form of governance; in any system of power, the traditional winners are reluctant to change.
The plight of the ones left behind in Afghanistan will soon be off the front pages. And the destruction in Louisiana will no longer be newsworthy in a few days from now. News is called news since it must be new; it stays fresh as long as a ripe fruit in your kitchen. The climate is changing at an unprecedented speed from a geologist's perspective, but far too slow for our concentration span in the news.
It was a busy day for me. Before sunset, I took a long break, put on my walking shoes, and walked into nature. I saw many deer; they love to come out of the trees at that time of the day. Then I climbed a high dune to enjoy a spectacular sunset. It gets busy at the beach at sunset in summer. That is just a few miles from here, but I prefer my evening in this spectacular nature, in solitude. It was a beautiful moment on a sad day.
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Notes:
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/08/30/world/afghanistan-news/us-military-evacuation-kabul-afghanistan
Thank you for this beautiful sunset picture. Looks like a lovely spot and how fitting that the lake is heart-shaped.
I definitely got overwhelmed by the news from all over the world and the title of your newsletter is very fitting - what about "All those left behind". Only so much I can do from here. There's money, there's helping friends in need, there's making sure I don't support the party who thinks that people should be left behind because we need to protect our values, wealth and way of life and my vote in a local election underlines that. What I don't understand is why people don't come together to make this world a better place for everybody. I'm having a hard time dealing with all the division that is created and it has gotten much worse during the pandemic. And I'm saying that from the safety of my home - I can't even begin to imagine what life must be like for those left behind.
Thank you for sharing your thougths and that lovely sunset.
Yes, sad it is. 🙏 It's good to see your sunset photo . . .