Musings: On the editor's mind

A paradigm is a really big idea. A paradigm shift is when there is a complete change in thinking about a major part of our lives. Consider slavery. Even in 1859, slavery was the status quo and was going to continue forever. No sane establishment person was betting against its existence. Six years later the Civil War had ended and so had slavery. A huge paradigm shift was forced upon the nation. That’s history.

Fast forward to today. Now take cars. Consider cars as slaves. Consider freeing cars. Lives are torn asunder. No more cars to depend on, to use, to have available to do our biding.

But cars don’t have lives of their own. That doesn’t make sense, so consider people, you, as slaves to cars. What would happen if you were set free from your car(s) tomorrow? Consider being freed from cars. You are suddenly on your own. No 40 acres, no mule, just being cut off from the everyday reality of your existence.

That’s a modern paradigm shift. That is a shift in values and reality that we will have to face up to in our lifetime.

At climate strikes around the world Friday kids waved signs reading “Our house is on fire.” People in Paradise, California – and lots of other California communities – have fled ahead of their houses being burned down. Floods pushed people out of their homes in Houston last week. Hurricane Dorian wreaked havoc in the Bahamas. Hundreds are missing. More are climate refugees in Florida.

We are whistling in the dark past our own graveyard if we think we are living in normal times. As The Gambler says in the Kenny Rogers song of that name: “You got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em / Know when to walk away and know when to run.”

You have time, you think. You know you will be able to walk away. But one day you won’t. One day all our cars will be useless, whether they have burnt up or been drowned or simplyy run out of gas for good.

That’s a paradigm shift forced upon us.

Anyone who says a paradigm isn’t worth more than four nickels doesn’t have much of a bet going.