Here we all are, admiring our own reflections in the shiny bright mirror of cyberspace–“It’s all about me!”–while elsewhere, less smuggy more smoggy asia’s pollution seems to be obscuring a huge chunk of the planet in a filthy cloud the size of a continent (yes, really that big!). And in another place, Robert Mugabe–no doubt inspired by our own greed–calls Tony Blair a terrorist while stealing farm land and giving it to his relatives.

Real life reflects internet discussion boards: “You!” “No, you!”

Sometimes you just have to stop and ask, what’s really important?

I watched Chocolat at the weekend and was warmed by the simple yet charming message of this film: we all live together. We’re all part of the community. In a sense, that includes the global community of humanity everywhere. It’s important not only to embrace our differences but also to work together. Human beings enjoy that sense of belonging which comes from warmth and acceptance. It nurtures and supports us, helps us grow.

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Side note: on the pollution story, eleven years ago Mount Pinatubo erupted in the Phillipines spewing up a cloud of sulfates and other nasties which have been sitting around in the upper atmosphere all this time. Beware of news agencies claiming the latest haze is totally the result of man-made pollution. Partially, yes, but not exclusively.

It’s the World Summit on Sustainable Development this week and journalists have got to get stories out of it. And politicians have got to generate Big Important stories if they’re going to get themselves re-elected. There’s always someone with an axe to grind.

I love NASA. And the internet.