Metaphor of the early attempts to fly ─ by Ray Anderson

"Drawing the metaphor of the early attempts to fly.
以早期人類試圖嘗試飛行的狀況為例
The man going off of a very high cliff in his airplane,with the wings flapping,
這個人駕著他的飛行器，從非常高的懸崖上拍著翅膀一躍而下
and the guys flapping the wings and the wind is in his face,
這傢伙一邊拍著翅膀而風一邊吹過他的臉頰

and this poor fool thinks he's flying, but, in fact, he's in free fall,
這可憐的傻瓜以為他在飛了，但事實上他其實只是在往下掉
and he just doesn't know it yet because the ground is so far away,
他無法察覺到這件事，只是因為地面實在距離太遠了
but, of course, the craft is doomed to crash.
但的確，這飛行器註定要墜毀



That's the way our civilization is,
這就是我們文明發展的樣子
the very high cliff represents the virtually unlimited resources we seem to have when we began this journey.
當我們開始這段旅程時，這高不可測的懸崖象徵我們似乎用之不竭的資源
The craft isn't flying because it's not built according to the laws of aerodynamics and it's subject to the law of gravity.
但這飛行器並沒有飛起來，因為它的設計不符合空氣動力學，只能受制於重力法則

Our civilization is not flying because it's not built according to the laws of aerodynamics for civilizations that would fly.
我們的文明並沒有起飛因為沒有遵守可以讓文明飛升的空氣動力學

And, of course, the ground is still a long way away, but some people have seen that ground rushing up sooner than the rest of us have.
當然我們是離地面還很遠，但有些人比其他人先發現了地面正快速逼近中
The visionaries have seen it and have told us it's coming.
這些見識卓越的人看到了這個現象並警告我們，我們快墜落了

There's not a single scientific, peer-reviewed paper published in the last 25 years that would contradict this scenario:
過去25年沒有任何一篇評核過的科學論文，可以否認以下正在發生的事實
every living system of earth is in decline,
地球上每一個生態系統都在衰退
every life support system of earth is in decline,
地球上每一個生命維持機制都在衰退
and these together constitute the biosphere, the biosphere that supports and nurtures all of life,
這些共同組成了養育所有生命的生物圈
and not just our life but perhaps 30 million other species that share this planet with us."
除了我們還有大約3千萬種跟我們一起共享這顆星球的生物

-by Ray Anderson,  who is -
-"known in environmental circles for his advanced and progressive stance on industrial ecology and sustainability."