Of recent letters debating the realities and politics of land-use, flooding and growth management, Tuesday’s “Farming valleys must be protected” points out the power of pictures. Seeing is believing. (March 14 article, “Through photos, explore how the state has changed over the years.”)
Visual perspective stimulated former astronaut Edgar Mitchell to famously cuss: “From out there on the moon, international politics looks so petty. You want to grab a politician by the scruff of the neck and drag him a quarter million miles out and say, Look at that, you son of a b***h.”
Even close in at the local level we observe that self interest can be paradoxically self-destructive.
Reproductive instincts eventually encounter the reality that unlimited population growth is unsustainable. Short-term personal gain that endangers our environment endangers us all.
While global warming may indeed be linked to human behavior, there is a lot of room for deniability. To “see” change, whether climate or concrete, requires memory as well as eyes.
Snohomish County’s aerial section photos date to 1947 and document natural occurrences, stream/river meanders as well as human development. We can argue cost benefit of pavement but no one denies who makes pavement happen.
Herald, our main viewing portal, how about periodically showing comparative photos of topical sites? A time lapse of our status among the ecological and geological processes that sustain us.
“Look at that.”
Wayne C. Evans
Bothell
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