Week #5 Reflection

I have genuinely enjoyed the discussions we've had in the past week. Although I need to work on my public speaking skills more, I felt that I was able to add valuable points to each conversation and learn from my peers. As each week progresses, I slowly become more confident in my ability to work through the problems presented to us and find the contradictions or agreements in our readings. Despite loving playing Diplomatic Risk, this past week of classes has been my favorite. When discussing our texts, it is interesting to see how they have aged throughout the centuries and their applicability to situations that their authors could have never predicted. 

During both classes this week, we were able to tie these political theories to real-life issues and discuss frameworks in which they could be solved. While I missed out on the climate strike because of my homework load, it still made for an exciting blog post.  Climate change, having no obvious solution, was a bit tricky to consider from a realist perspective because of the lack of initiative on politicians' side. With the way our government is operating currently, realism has taken the forefront of the discussion on combatting climate change.  It is quite disheartening to admit that our world is dying due to our actions, and know that nothing short of a miracle could save it. 

This week's readings have allowed me to reflect on my own actions when considering Kelanic's argument.  The Petroleum Paradox and the discussion on climate change brought up what we value the most. Whether that be access to clean water, oil, natural resources, etc., every human imposes their footprint upon the environment based upon their priorities. The climate strike and the blog post regarding it made me reflect on how I have impacted my surroundings and furthered environmental problems. I often buy from fast-fashion brands who don't implement sustainable practices, nor do I recycle as much as I should. But acknowledging my mistakes and attempting to rectify them is all a part of positive change. I know that corporations, polluting on a global scale, play a more substantial role in the creation of climate change. However, I still believe that everyone should remain accountable for their actions. If the government isn't capable or willing to combat climate change, it is up to us to right their wrongs. Realistically, we cannot achieve as much as we could with the support of the government, but every bit of support helps. Although our discussions surrounding John Locke focused on the separation of political and religious spheres in his Letter on Toleration, I feel that his point on Magistrates applies to our current state. Politicians (or Magistrates) who refuse to address the issue of climate change put the safety and well-being of the public into jeopardy. Instead of advocating for more reform and preserving the environment, they put our futures at risk and invalidate our rights to life, liberty, and property.