Having wounded the earth, we watch as she bleeds out

For Father’s Day, an exchange between Tony Judt and his son Daniel on BP, Barack Obama, and our collective lack of political will.

From Tony:

The gush of filth is a reminder that we have surrendered our independence to a technology we cannot master. … The challenge goes beyond oil slicks and moral revulsion. In the bigger picture, big oil has no long-term future: sooner or later the contemptible little sheikdoms that have arisen upon a pool of liquid greed will sink back into the desert. But why should BP and the emirs script the endgame?

From his son, who is in the ninth grade:

Look, we are powerless and will be for a while to come. In fact, we are in the worst possible position: we are old enough to understand better than you what has to be done, but far too young to do it.

Although this has no bearing on the ideas expressed, this exchange on Father’s Day is especially poignant in view of Tony Judt’s illness.

Resources:

Photo source: TriCityHerald

Daniel Judt and Tony Judt, Generations in the Balance, The New York Times, June 18, 2010