Waging War on the Folks Next Door

That's what the folks in Fargo, North Dakota are doing today. I don't mean that they are shooting them or dropping bombs on them, they probably don't think they're doing anything at all. In fact, some of the people they're waging the war on, may be helping them because they're good neighbors. What am I talking about?

In Fargo, the river is expected to crest today and flood the city. Schools have been released and everyone in the area is filling sandbags to keep the river within its banks. At least, keep it within its banks until it gets further downstream. Therein lies the problem. Sandbagging the banks of the river does not solve the problem, it just passes it along. It's not really waging war on the folks next door, it's really more like waging war on the folks downstream.

It seems difficult to believe that people do not understand that forcing water from one area just forces it to another. It is just such an idea, that we can control the forces of nature, that is causing humanity so many problems. The constant degradation of the environment in the name of progress has produced a planet with a changing climate and an ever more uncertain future.

Shortsighted solutions that push the problem down the road (or down the river), are not what we need. Failing to address the larger environmental catastrophe, is only pushing the problem onto future generations.

Will we realize the consequences of our actions and stop forcing the problem onto future generations? Or will we be Fargo, and wage war on the folks down stream?




In Fargo's defense, all cities and communities behave exactly the same way.