"Isn't it pretty to think so", is a statement made by the main character in Hemingway's novel, The Sun Also Rises, in response to his girlfriend's wishful thinking about their future. We, too, seem far too willing to indulge in wishful thinking. As the planet swelters in heat waves and people die of the extreme temperatures, too many of us seem to be willing to indulge in some kind of wishful thinking that it is not reality, or not really that serious.
Reality always trumps wishful thinking. When we are confronted with the realities of global warming it is hard to deny that reality and stick to our illusions, whether they are based on some ideology that we hold dear, or even some interpretation of some religious doctrine, or what someone else has told us. We may not like reality, and it may not fit our worldview, but it is still the insistent reality that confronts us.
If our house is burning and we can see the flames, see the destruction, and feel the heat, that is reality, and it requires us to respond. We can do something to save what we can, or we can run, or we can hide, denying what is happening, and allowing the destruction while trying to wish it away.
However, whatever we choose, that reality, will continue to occur and all the wishful thinking and stubborn inability to accept that reality will not change a thing. Somehow the universe chose to give us human intelligence and reason to be able to deal with the realities of life. It is what it is, and our inability to accept what is staring us in the face can only be met with the realist's comment, as to a child, "Isn't it pretty to think so."
