#354 / We

I wrote about "fracking" in my Two Worlds posting yesterday, and I realize that I attributed this incredibly destructive activity not just to some people, or to the "oil companies," but to all of us. In short, I used the word "we."

"Fracking," or "hydraulic fracturing," ...  is the latest technology by which we are stripping hydrocarbons out of the earth, for purposes of combustion. 

In thinking about why I did that, and why I used the word "we" (a word that implies a collective responsibility for activities that are not, really, collective activities at all), I came to the conclusion that my use of the word "we" reflects a deeply-held belief that we, in fact, are all in this world together, and that we need to acknowledge and assume our collective responsibility for what is done in "our" world. 

There are some profound philosophical questions at stake when we use the word "we." I do think that it is "our" world - and that means that "we" can change it.

We had better start making some progress on that, too!

Image Credit: 
http://www.futurity.org/society-culture/we-factor-the-language-of-love/