A whole lot of nothing...

I just drove back from Ketchum, Idaho this afternoon after a week working there and in Boise. Every time I do that drive I am struck by how little there is between here and there, just a whole lot of nothing. No offense to any potato farmers or anyone who lives there...

When I was in college I was really cynical about a lot of issues, population growth in particular. With the global population growing at such a fast rate do we have the space and resources to support this growth? I used to think no, and that nobody cared and we were all just going to keep consuming and growing until we were swimming in our own trash and out of food, water, and fresh air. I've lost a little of this cynicism over the years and especially this year see some hope in human kind. Yeah the economy is bad but we are all talking about conserving resources, finding cleaner alternatives to fossil fuels, and taking steps towards improving our society in general. This is good news to me as sooner or later we had to come to our senses. Maybe this economic crisis will re-direct us down a more responsible path.

Back to the photo: some parts of the world are so overcrowded and then there are places like the western US. Just a whole lot of nothing. I'd hate to see farmland and open spaces go but if they someday have to I hope the land is used responsibly. Apparently a week driving around by myself has made me a little reflective. I'll shut up now, time to unpack.