Mourning the Gulf
If it weren’t BP,
it would be somebody else.
Who is to blame for the
oil spill in the Gulf? It is all of us, at least all of us old enough
to drive and vote and make decisions about our own actions. How can
we blame a corporate entity or the government when our own greed
drives us to the excesses which brought us to this place?
Perhaps it is not so
important anymore what we as human beings do to each other. As a
species, we have shown the capacity for great compassion and acts of
love and beauty, but we have never been able to outgrow our penchant
for plunder and domination. Domination is one thing when it pertains
to social constructs, but when our desire to consume and subordinate
leads us to destroy the same ecological treasures that sustain us, it
may be time for the human race to bow out, or at least to give up the
front row seats and let Gaia run the show.
Knowing us, we won’t
go quietly.
There is a clear schism
between the perception that we are part of a larger living organism,
the earth and its inhabitants, and the dislocated view that the earth
is merely a reflection of our own greatness. Our eyes need to be
cleared to approach our earth with new humility. Will this happen
through political initiatives? It is highly unlikely. So close to
finality already, it will require an integration of our religious
beliefs with reverence for ALL living creatures and systems to pull
back from the brink of extinction. Will we take next the step to call
up a full accounting of our actions and become loving stewards
instead of plunderers? Morally we have no right to do otherwise. We
cannot wait for leaders, we must act in tandem as the interdependent
species we truly are.
by
Marguerite Serkin |
