The True Reality of Oil Spills and Other Disasters

The picture above was on my Yahoo home page this morning and it got me thinking about the true cost of disasters which foul the earth. The caption read, “The letters BP, inscribed in sand and oil by a Greenpeace activist, are shown on a beach at the mouth of the Mississippi River on May 17, in Venice, Louisiana. (AFP/Getty Images)”
While this is a large disaster it is not the end of the world, and many of us actually welcome these calamities.
How could I say that, none of us like these disasters. True, on the one hand, none of us “likes” these foul ups.
But, on the other hand we thrive on them; they give us an imminent sense of purpose and band us together to do whatever we can to help. For many it actually validates their existence. Let me explain.
In this age of instant commentary (via the web) EVERYBODY spins this; they NEED IT in order to have something of universal interest to blog, tweet and twitter about. Now, that puts me at the top of my list here of those who actually thrive on this sort of thing.
POLITICIANS make it political. Have you noticed how the commissions were appointed and the “off shore drilling” questions are on the lips of virtually every politician. They get to sit in lordly inquisition of the scurrilous BP executives. They get to craft new laws, spend more of our money (which we no longer have) on new programs and bureaucracies.
ENVIRONMENTALISTS make a disaster like this into another argument against any industrial usage of the biosphere. The get to add this to their list of man-made violations of Mother Earth. They are right, this spill and the gigantic floating mat of plastic waste in the middle of the Pacific Ocean testify to our guilt. I would venture a guess that there is a piece of plastic out there that actually passed through your hands at some point; we have all done this.
Many RELIGIOUS FOLKS make it into a sign of the end times (which it is by the way). If not God’s direct judgement, then a violation (with disastrous consequence) of His created order and our stewardship of the earth’s resources. Not unlike the environmentalists above, they are right. But again, they thrive on this opportunity to enter the debate, or send a rescue group, aid, supplies, etc.
NEWS ORGANIZATIONS, not surprisingly admit that they thrive on disasters and promptly make it the biggest story (making it seem more important than it may be). But in the mad scramble of today’s news reporting, often times they are spinning the story to satisfy powerful forces controlling the type and flow of information.
ARTISTS make it a springboard to creative commentary. Many of the most famous artworks that exist are scenes of war, disaster, and earth shaking personalities and events. They welcome the creative energy; the bursting forth of powerful images.
EDITORIALISTS need it to fill in any blank spaces in their mastery of social dynamics
VOLUNTEERS need it to justify their dedication to serving and fixing.
THE HISTORY CHANNEL, LEARNING CHANNEL AND NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL loves these mishaps. It gives them no end of fodder for their document-
aries and shows dedicated to colossal fixes.
And so it goes, we all have our own take on these events, it brings out the best and worst of our condition right before the mirror which is reality; showing us ourselves at work.
And what of the cost of all this, in terms of the environment? Well, there are many criteria which we use to gauge the impact. Obviously a dead sea bird on the beach is a pretty powerful indicator of the impact something like this has.
But in that name of balance it should be remembered that the Alaskan Oil Spill has largely been healed in the space of 30 or so years. And remember, the ocean is really BIG! At this point the amount flowing in is minuscule compared to the oceans volume.
British Petroleum needs to be held accountable, even to the point of breaking the company, but in judgment on them, let us have humility and remember this. They are out there in the gulf because of our demand for oil.
Finally, we need to remember that all this negative activity actually produces a lot of change for the better and gives many of us our raison d'etre.
The Lifting of the Primordial Mists THE PRIMARY ORDER of things is the inspiration for this piece. Some say that the sum total of all our lives and activities are nothing more than a theatrical play on a grand stage created by the Master Set Designer who's primordial stage set is the controlling element of the drama. One which touches and moves not only the audience but the actors as well. Or …so some say. Are they right? On the great stage of the coastal headlands of Oregon, Washington and British Columbia many such plays have taken place. New actors and scripts have come along, yet the stage's movements and moods control the action of any and all who come. One effective theatrical effect is the fog bank rolling in from stage right; obscuring the players; interrupting the action. We try to peer into it; but it obliterates everything. When this primal mist lifts its curtain the story becomes visible again; the play goes on. "But wait," you say… "The actors have changed; all the costumes and props are different — yet, the story seems somehow the same — how confusing!" But remember dear theatergoer, even this is under the power of a primordial designer and director. If you keep watching you will be entertained, enlightened and moved. You may even come to believe those who say there is much yet to be revealed from the lifting of the primordial mists.