End of LM

The rational mind uses facts and analyzes the situation in terms of what can be done to increase profit and material gain. The rational mind thinks of the quickest and cheapest way to get what you want, not taking other side effects into account. The sympathetic mind uses emotions and empathy to make decisions that are best for the whole. The sympathetic mind is selfless and doesn’t just focus on the here and now but also the effects on the future and everyone involved. Throughout his story, Reece tries to demonstrate the the “rational” minds of the coal companies and the “sympathetic” minds of those who are directly affected by mountaintop removal. One example of Reece’s sympathetic mind is where he criticizes the way we cover up the damages created by mountaintop removal the cheapest and quickest way, instead of taking other factors into account and we ignore the long term consequences because we only care about getting cheap energy. He makes a good point when he says “But the current price of coal tells nothing near the truth about the cost of air pollution, water pollution, forest fragmentation, species extinction, and the destruction of homes. Natural capital is destroyed and monetary capital is exported as quickly as the coal” (pg 187). Reece explains how we value technology and money much more than we value our wilderness and community. He makes it easy to understand by saying “No one who felt a responsibility to other citizens within a community would destroy its water, homes, wildlife, and woodlands” (pg 212).

I felt that Reece’s conclusion is full of meaningful quotes but one that really stood out to me is where Reece says “We too seldom see value in the natural world, whether aesthetic or intrinsic; we only see something we can use, even if that means using it up. We no longer see ourselves as part of a greater whole, a world so vast and mysterious that it deserves our reverence alongside scientific probing. In America today, the “environment “ is almost wholly other. We are over here, and it is over there” (pg 230). Reece sums up exactly what has become of us, not just America, but also other large industrialized nations. Most of us don’t relate to the wilderness and wildlife as part of our history and our ancestors’ history. It’s just there. And when we find something we can use out of it we will, without planning the future consequences or even short term side effects. We take everything that the earth has given us for granted and we give nothing back. We take its mountains and destroy wildlife communities for our own benefit. We act like we cannot survive without removing huge chunks of our land in order to get energy. How did our ancestors do it then? I understand that we can’t just stop everything we are doing but we should start giving back and taking responsibility for our actions. Nothing lasts forever and we are all too ignorant to accept that fact because we feel entitled to “resources” and refuse to take time to think about our actions and consider what will become of our country and planet by the time our great great grandchildren are here.