Ecology – An Attitude Towards Time

In the context of ecology, consuming material and space are often discussed; social issues are also considered. Time, however, is mostly neglected. In what we consume, not only material is given but also the time it takes to make this material available. Consuming material thus also means consuming time. It takes time to develop oil, to make trees grow, to produce groceries, to heal illnesses etc. We cannot accelerate chemical procedures, growth, increase and healing. Our attitude toward nature must change; we must, after all, respect these processes. We are responsible for the past – even if it was not ours: the remains of former development and production persists until the present day. We are, of cause, responsible for the future: to not consume all of the material which evolved in billions of years and to not leave behind too much remains for the next generations. We have this responsibility today: patience is asked to wait for the seasonable fruit and precipitance is necessary in order to take unavoidable decisions for protecting nature – and future generations. Their time is theirs – and should not be wasted by worrying about the harmful remains that we leave behind.