Despite my managing to avoid the news for the past 10-or-so years, I’ve been adequately kept ‘in the loop’ regarding the on~goings of the BP disaster in the Gulf—and, like many others, my heart hurts. Years ago, I learned to put these types of disasters (acute ones, such as this—and the more ongoing, under~the~radar type of destruction that has been accumulating for years) in the back of my mind, simply because I carry the weight very personally. That I finally mastered the ability to do this (to a degree) however, doesn’t change the fact that my life’s work has been and will be environmentally charged, nor does it upset the focus or balance that I long ago established in my personal life as a response. With all of that written, it has become more than slightly irritating to me over the past few days to hear and see fingers being pointed when the truth is that regardless of who did their work poorly, who slacked at the end of day on this job…
WE are ones responsible for this disaster—you and i!
Like all other oil companies, BP is in this game for one reason: money. Who hands over this money? We do! Directly, we pay to fuel our vehicles…indirectly, we fuel buses and planes—the horrendous, offensive amount of plastics we buy…the packaging…the manufacturing…the transporting—all for a convenient life. If we weren’t throwing our money, in every little moment, at petroleum, BP and the like wouldn’t be drilling for it.
So, what do we do?
I’m not going to adventure into a lengthy spiel about buying less, walking or riding more or supporting local products—both because everyone’s heard it all before and because I write about it often. Instead, I am simply hoping that we all go to bed tonight thinking about our connection to this situation…that the downfall of millions and millions of beautiful creatures enters our mind the next time we have a cart full of plastic packaging…and, likewise, thinking about ways we can lessen that connection.
love to you.
love to our planet.
right on