Samuel van der Swaagh
House 2, Cohort 2
09/27/12
City Seminar: Reading & Writing
Response Paper #2
No Impact Man by Colin Beavan
While Beavan struggles with the idea that humans are inherently selfish, Beavan reaches the conclusion that man does not have to be the problem, but the solution to our environmental crises. Beavan explains this idea by quoting a famous slogan of the Keep America Beautiful (KAB), a campaign established by a company that originally advocated disposability, "'People start pollution, people can stop it.'" Beavan arrived at this point from four considerations. First, after Beavan lines up the notion of innate selfishness with his most passionate hungers, he realizes that it is nonsensical for most humans, who share similar hungers, to innately want to trash our planet. Consequently, if our wants and desires are irrelevant, then it is the broken system, which delivers my wants, that becomes the issue. Following this argument, if we take the problem of our flawed delivery system seriously, then we possess the power to change the situation; and if we have this power, humans can become the solution.
As hopeful as this might sound, however, Beavan still notes the daunting task that lies ahead: "Oh great, the problem is not selfish human nature; it's our whole manufacturing and distribution system." One is almost talking about reconstructing almost two centuries of industrial development, not to mention a whole global tide! Yes, half a century ago, our incinerator used to come to our homes in order to buy our trash, and seems simply a matter of discarding unsustainable corporate habits. Reality tells us that such an undertaking will require extremely strenuous effort on all our parts. We, however, have no other choice but to "just do it!"
According to Beavan, the real determinate factor that will reverse people’s bad habits and fix the broken distribution systems is not ability, but willingness. It takes a tremendous amount of faith, whether in an ideal or entity, to leap into such a cesspool. In the reference to Nachshon crossing the Red Sea, Beavan wants us to understand that changing the world requires a level of uncertainty and risk. Stasis is a result of people either doing nothing or fearing the uncertain. Change is a result of revolution and risk taking. In other words, one will only make an impact if he/she steps forward.
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Submitted Version of 09/27/12:
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