Essays in Idleness

Humour, I say, not for the sake of a few laughs — although that would be welcome — but for the sake of sanity. My objection to so much of the Left-Liberal agenda, is not that it is too grave and serious, but that it is insane. Even humour, defiantly perhaps, in opposition to good taste — although this permission may sometimes be indulged to the point of unreason.

And insane, I say, not in the hysterical, shriekie-sister way (although we get a lot of performative violence and rioting in “progressive” demonstrations), but insane in a dour and grim way.

The best current example is in the political dictation of “climate.” This example is based on the absurd “theory” that the chemical compound, carbon dioxide, is the cause of “global warming,” which may or may not exist, depending how far back into the last ice age we wish to carry our speculations. But the relation between CO2 and temperature is the exact opposite of what the (bought and paid for) “climate scientists” aver; and if you want to grow fruits and vegetables, cows and chickens (which, in agriculture, we often do) we must not discourage CO2. The world’s supply has indeed been accumulating, and the world is demonstrably “greening.”

Pollution is from other compounds, which may or may not advance economic interests in an environment of defective technology. But the application of sanity to this problem has been responsible for the huge proportional increase of clean air, and of clean water, in the course of my lifetime. This in North America, but even in the crowded settlements of the “third world.” And the greening we should moreover celebrate, because so many more of the world’s poorest are now eating regularly — so that diabetes is a replacement problem by which shriekies can be vexed.

Up to a point, which we soon pass, increasing wealth may be good for us. But increasing poverty may also be good, as the Father of mercies and the Son have suggested. And sanity is compatible with either condition.