Tragedy is all in perception and even perspective. Perhaps when you are shell-shocked for years having the blood of another tragedy at your feet, in your face, or, better yet, in the neighbor's yard, you can shake your head in sorrow but move on numbly to the rest of the day without too much angst. Your perception has narrowed and you are in survival mode.
There are many studies of the numbing that violent games produce in the game player. There are studies of the personality shells that young children create when living in a crime ridden neighborhood or when trying to survive in an abusive family. Our soldiers return home only to fight a battle with themselves.
For those of us who do not live where bombs are lobbed into our life on a daily basis, we get addicted to that thrill ride in the entertainment industry forgetting that life is not real in that way. We want a bigger explosion or more bodies on the ground. We want larger monsters and bigger weapons. It is not enough to kill the evil villain the first time. He keeps surviving and coming back at us again and again. Get involved with enough shock and awe that doesn't touch you and it becomes an addictive stimulant.
I wonder if our dear Earth also becomes numb in this way. Or are her earth quakes and weather changes the spanking we deserve? We keep attacking her with our blundering endless ignorance.
Just to "put in perspective " this oil tragedy, we have used the earth as an oil toilet in far greater ways, according to the June 14 issue of Newsweek. The Deepwater Horizon oil well has thus far released 39.1 million gallons with a an outside amount of 94.2 million. (Needless to say no one can really measure this mess.)
BUT in:
1978 the Amoco Cadiz which ran aground released 68 million gallons;
1979 the Atlantic Empress tanker collision spilled 88.3 million gallons;
also in 1979 the IXTOC blowout took 10 months to cap and released 140 million gallons;
1983 the Nowruz which hit an oil platform spewed 80 million gallons;
1988 the Osyssey broke in half and released 48 million gallons (but far offshore in another neighborhood);
1989 Exxon Valdez released 10.9 million gallons--the largest in U.S. waters until now
And finally in 1991, the Gulf War Iraqi forces released 252-336 million gallons when they retreated from Kuwait.
See, this is a never ending story. Aren't you excited?
I am sick! That is what I am. And all it begins with simple things. Opening your car window and throwing out your trash or worse yet, a cigarette. Here that could cause a tremendous forest fire!! But do we care?
ReplyDeleteYour posts is very thought provoking and reminds us of our legacy so far. Can we turn things around?
Hugs
SueAnn
Excited, but not in a good way. And, so many people, especially older ones, keep saying that the earth has the ability to heal itself. Maybe that is just wishful thinking on their part.
ReplyDelete"I wonder if our dear Earth also becomes numb in this way. Or are her earth quakes and weather changes the spanking we deserve? We keep attacking her with our blundering endless ignorance."
ReplyDeleteYes, we do. As Edgar Cayce said..."As above, so below". Our sins come home to roost all too quickly.
Disturbing, isn't it? I hate to think we are becoming desensitized to all this but the more it happens the less we are shocked by it.
ReplyDeleteIt's what we have to live with, inwardly afterwards, that makes it even sadder.
The challenge is to move from feeling devastated and heart-sick into to action to do our part to correct the situation. There are a myriad of posts with suggestions on how we can each do that.
ReplyDeleteIt is just terrible, Tabor.... All of what we are doing to our EARTH is terrible. Yet we spoiled humans just keep taking and taking from the earth --and never thinking about what could happen.
ReplyDeleteAnd while another of our huge, greedy companies (BP) just keep on making money for THEM---the 'small people' (Ha) are suffering. And--of course, who knows what this can and will do to our sea creatures.
AND--if a storm comes into the gulf this next week (Let's pray that it does not)---it could be even worse.
God Help us ALL.
Hugs,
Betsy
I don't want to have apathy,
ReplyDeleteor dispair,
but hope
yet always, at the back of my mind, I wonder how little of what is going on becomes common knowledge.
I was struck by shock not too long ago reading an article about outdated and not so green laws that still allow raw sewage dumping in areas of Canada. To say I was floored is putting it mildly. Who knew? What else don't we know?
sigh
and prayers
If only we could quadruple the price of oil perhaps people would become motivated to quit using it. That's the only long term solution.
ReplyDeleteOnly today I was reading about a mass of plastic-floating rubbish twice the size of the continent of America in the middle of the Pacific. It's horrible. I can only hope and pray that the earth will fight these battles for us. Thanks for the reminder about being gentle with our world.
ReplyDeleteWill mankind never learn?
ReplyDeleteDo we despair or d we do our best to cause a change in attitudes?
Tabor, I've had this horrible thought that you might have taken my comment to your last post at face value and not for the sarcasm it was supposed to be.
Please, tell me that you know me better.
Greed, money, selfishness are all contributing to pollution and devastation all over the planet. When will mankind wake up and stop fouling his own nest?
ReplyDeleteAll has been said - it is so very sad. We can all do our part, no matter how small.
ReplyDeleteIt's awful. We forget each tragedy once it's over and are only reminded when the next one rolls around.
ReplyDeleteYes, I knew all these facts....probably because I am fascinated by ship things. All the ship folks are sharing these statistics right now. Might I use them in my blog and refer to you as a link? It's a great compilation. :)
ReplyDeleteRYN: Photography. I have 8 years of art school with some graduate work in Architectural History. My first husband went through Art Center LA in Photography. All I learned about photographic techniques was from him and his instructors in the early 1960's. When I stopped painting, I took up snapshots. :)
I use an older Canon A650....the one made here in the US that doesn't have a light leak. 12.1 MP's....and my first camera had .7. Makes me laugh. Coupling this with my no longer supported Photoshop Elements 6, which doesn't really speak any art or photography language known to man, lets me produce something I can see.
Yes, I miss my Pentaxs....but not the weight or immobility of them. They sit in their bag rusting while I take thousands of shots a day. Yes, another thing I learned to do from the Art Center teachers...but now I can just download and reformat the discs.
See what you get when you ask me a question. LOL Off to the pool now. See ya later.
On that note, I think I'll go to bed and hide. I believe there comes a time when you can get ahead of things being able to heal themselves. We need to figure out a solution or accept that fact the cost of oil will take away how life is no matter if we become less dependent or not.
ReplyDeleteChilling and sounds like a science fiction premise. I am also appalled by BP's bad record of something like 800 citations when the next in line with the most was Shell ... with 8!!
ReplyDelete