There was a group rate to Marineland offered through our former preschool, so I took John out of school and we went down to Niagara Falls for the day. It was a virtual festival of skipping school, as there were many families with children from John's school in attendance.
We had fun; it was hot but not too hot and sunny, with a fair bit of rain at the end of the day that sent us home soggy.
On the way down I listened to radio interview with Alice Walker, about her serious activism and a trip she is making to the Gaza Strip. I missed the earlier part of the interview but was struck by a statement she made near the end: that climate change is a huge problem; the ice caps are melting, and weather changes abundant, but that humans are extremely intelligent and if they work together to address some of these problems. It all seemed so relevant, insightful, serious, and optimistic.
And then I arrived at Marineland and watched a show with seals, dolphins, a walrus, and a funny guy in a silly suit. It all felt so 12 Monkeys, the movie with Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt, about a deadly virus that has been released so all humanity has to live underground. Bruce Willis goes back in time to try and stop the release of the virus.
There is a scene in the airport where Bruce Willis is a little kid, and he watches his future adult self who has travelled back in time. We know what is going to happen in the future, but the kid does not; he is at a busy airport, going on a trip, participating in daily life. The audience knows that the virus has been released and the future will be bleak.
I was struck by that while sitting at this show; is that where we are, at the airport, the virus has been released and it is all downhill from here? Is humanity doomed? Can we adjust to an unknown future with intelligence, resourcefulness, and compassion?
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