Not too long ago, I happen to watch an old “Popeye”
cartoon while at a friend’s house. I laughed when I heard the character named
Wimpy (J. Wellington Wimpy) say: “I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger
today.” At the time, it reminded me of a project I had due soon and the
attitude I had taken toward it: Why do today what I can do tomorrow?
Unfortunately, too often people take this same attitude, and the things that
are really important—our healthy, well-being, and future—are cast aside for
convenience and denial.
Just how damaging procrastination can be set in as
I read the article “Record high greenhouse gases to linger for decades” by Tom
Miles. In sum, the article carbon dioxide gas emissions are continuing to rise,
and that there is a limited amount of time for people to change behaviors in
order to limit the amount of damage done by contributing to the increase in the
Earth’s temperature. The article points out that even if all emissions stopped
today, the effects of the damage that has already been done could take decades
to rectify or eliminate. There really is no tomorrow in terms of dealing with
the emissions problem.
Instead of being “Wimpy,” it is time to start
thinking in terms of what will happen if we keep putting off what we need to do
today. Rather than paying for a hamburger on Tuesday, we should consider the
words of Edward Young: “Be wise today; ‘tis madness to defer. Next day the
fatal precedent will plead; thus on, til wisdom is pushed out of life.”
To read Tom Miles full article, visit http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/21/us-greenhouse-idUSTRE7AK0NB20111121.
By: Noor Alzayer
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