Extinction

You:
Humanity will eventually
Go extinct
Anyways
No point
Stressing
Over recycling

Me:
Eventually yes
But
By the same argument
Why bother eating?
When you are going
To die eventually
A waste of energy
Of food
Just to prevent
The inevitable

You:
What difference
Does any of it
Make
When other countries
Pollute more than us
They need to stop
Before what we do
Can make a difference

Me:
By that same argument
Should the younger
Healthier person
Bother to quit
Smoking?
Because another
Is older
Sicker
Or that it is ok
For me to eat unhealthy
Or drink to excess
Why bother trying
When someone
Is sicker
Fatter
This is not a competition
For biggest failure!
It is never about blame!
It is about pride!
About pulling your weight
However you can
So our species
All species
Might carve out
A bit more time
To experience
This world
This universe
Before we become
An echo
Floating through space.

The odds are stacked
Against us
Always
But if we do nothing
Our fate is certain.