Carson- A Fable for Tomorrow & the Obligation to Endure

“No witchcraft, no enemy action had silenced the rebirth of new life in this stricken world. The people had done it themselves.” (Carson 151) 

A Fable for Tomorrow By Alexis Rockman Source

 A Fable for Tomorrow, was a short read that I really enjoyed. I really liked how Carson creates this fable to prove a point. Even though this is a work of fantasy, it represents the path we are on and the suffering we will face if we don’t act quick. We are so infatuated with money and business that we are exploiting the land. We can’t see the consequences that the future holds because we always want instant gratification.  Carson paints a vivid picture of what the world will be like if we continue to live like this. 

“The most alarming of all man’s assaults upon the environment is the contamination of air, earth, rivers, and sea with dangerous and even lethal material.” (Carson 153)

Polluted Los Angeles River Source

Carson continues to say that this damage is irrecoverable. With the population continuously growing, we are adding more and more waste to landfills, using large amounts of nonrenewable resources, and polluting the air and water we need to live. This brings me back to one of Orr’s readings. Even if a specific person, group, state, or country works hard to preserve or conserve the planet, there will still be free loaders who are breathing the air, or using the water that these individuals have fought to protect. 

"Can anyone believe it is possible to lay down such a barrage of poisons on the surface of the earth without making unfit for all life? They should not be called "insecticides," but "biocides"(Carson, 155)

Pesticide Sprayers on a Farm Source

Here Carson is referring to the sprays, dusts, and aerosols, which are now applied universally to most farms, gardens, forests, and homes. These are extremely powerful, but selective chemicals, which have the power to kill every insect, but still let the crops thrive. These chemicals also destroy the good pests. If these insecticides, for example, harmed a bee population, then crops couldn’t get pollinated and therefor people would not have food. This is how insecticides turn into biocides.