Sunday, November 27, 2022
Contingent action is represented by sprinkler systems, insurance, and fire alarms. They deal with a problem we sought to avoid but occurred anyway and now we have to deal with it.
Preventive action is represented by fire marshals, safe wiring, and no smoking signs. They deal with stopping the causes of a future problem.
So now we’re engaged in massive, expensive, inefficient, and questionable recycling efforts on a mass scale. (Many municipalities have given up on them because of the expense and lack of compliance.)
Shouldn’t we be spending our money, time, and energy on vastly reducing the need for and role of plastics in our lives? And this isn’t the only instance of vast misdirection. We spend far more trying to “cure” and treat cancer than prevent it (ignoring the evidence that stopping tobacco use drives down lung cancer rates) and dealing with weight gain than preventing it (we spend billions a year on weight issues yet the population is heavier on average than ever).
But, what do I know?