The Tragedy of the Commons on Georges Bank, and Elsewhere
By Donella Meadows
–December 1, 1988–
In the Massachusetts State Capitol there is a wooden statue of the Sacred Cod, a tribute to the massive fishing ground called Georges Bank. For 200 years codfish from Georges Bank have enriched New England. Now, says the Northeast Fisheries Center, the cod population of Georges Bank is collapsing.
This unnecessary tragedy-in-the-making is directly parallel to other [...]
Dear Folks: November 26, 1988
Dear Folks, It’s Saturday around 4 pm and the sun is just setting next to Mount Ascutney in the southwest. It’s been a rare day for late November — brilliant sun and 50 degrees. A last blessing before winter.
Sylvia and I spent the day scrambling around doing a few of the things left on the “before winter” list. We battened down [...]
Dark Thoughts on a Bright November Morning
By Donella Meadows
–November 10, 1988–
The morning after the election I woke up feeling bruised all over.
The networks were being celebratory and conciliatory, appropriate for the day when the nation has to come back together again. Dukakis was unemotional (no surprise) and gracious. Bush was saying nice things about him, finally. The pundits were drawing the obvious lessons: 1. Negative campaigns [...]
Out of Sight, Out of Mind — In Sight, Out of Mind
By Donella Meadows
–November 3, 1988–
The worst trick of the human mind is its habit of discounting whatever it has not directly experienced.
Most of us don’t live in Fernald, Ohio, or Golden, Colorado, or Rapid City, South Dakota, or any of the several dozen places in the United States where nuclear bombs are manufactured, stored, or sited in bunkers, ready to [...]
We’re not Choosing Values, We’re Choosing Assumptions
By Donella Meadows
–October 27, 1988–
“This election is about values,” says George Bush, without mentioning which values. He can’t mention them, because in fact the election is not about values at all.
Michael Dukakis and George Bush both revere the values that all Americans and all human beings hold dear. No one is against family solidity, against justice or freedom or life [...]
