So I was mowing the lawn the other day and “Progress” by Midnight Oil (one of the most underrated bands ever, to me) popped up on the iPod. Even while trying to navigate the mess of weeds without getting a contact allergy or poison ivy, some of the lyrics jumped out at me:
Say yes to a real-life ambition, say yes to our hopes and our plans
Forget about your indecision, let’s get the beast off our land
A tree that can grow no longer, a beach that has got no sand
I would pay out a king’s ransom, if we could just understand
It was the “a beach that has got no sand” that particularly struck me, with the irony being that we were in the midst of the Deepwater Horizon fiasco, as deluged with images of destroyed beaches as the Gulf was deluged with oil.
Got your last meal, filled up with pesticide
Hamburger chain, third-world infanticide
Got robot cars, your jobs will disappear
It’s the politics of a brand-new year
I was one that was hopeful that the new administration wouldn’t give short shrift to environmental concerns, and while we have made some headway in that sector, I’m disappointed in the continued lack of emphasis or progress there. The politics of a brand-new year have yet to filter down to protecting Mother Earth, at least as of yet.
You may be safe in your hemisphere
But there’s so much junk in the stratosphere
We’ve got our eyes on the firmament, hands on the armaments
Heads full of arguments and words for our monuments
Here was a song originally held up as an anthem in the wake of the Exxon Valdez, the first unheeded warning we received about the perils of our petroleum lives. So when will we learn? How much will have to die or be destroyed before we do? And is it already too late?
Some say that’s progress
I say that’s cruel
So do I, Midnight Oil.
So do it.
Think about it.
