Trashing our way into extinction

In a time when we're at war and in a deep recession, where hope is dwindling in a divided America that has slipped in properly raising, educating and employing its citizens, simple pleasures like taking a walk on a beach or fishing in an inlet become more important to sustaining our collective sanity. Our natural surroundings often allow us to cope with unnatural circumstances.

The Gulf of Mexico oil spill, caused by everything that is wrong with our increasingly greedy and shallow society, will undoubtedly break the backs of many folks who were hanging on by a thread before the oil rig blew up. As the oil makes its way to Florida, and possibly heads into the Atlantic Ocean, the scale of this tragedy will grow and literally seep into millions of lives and businesses in the coming weeks if a miracle doesn't occur soon. Walks on the beach and shrimping boats may be a thing of the past.

There should be many lessons that come from this oil spill. Unfortunately, the lessons likely to be learned won't necessarily be the best ones. This disaster should cause us to look inward, yet I believe those in power will approach this in a different manner -- the same manner they always do. They'll look for solutions on how to make rigs safer and plow ahead. That's all fine, but the core problem isn't entirely with oil rig technology or safety procedures. The real problem is us. That is something Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell fails to understand as he callously called for Virginia to move ahead with build off-shore platforms today. McDonnell, the man who recently brought back Confederate History Month, once again showed his poor timing and lack of sensitivity.

River by river, species by species, we are destroying everything that gives us life. We are doing it in the name of profits, progress and even national security. The people in big oil are no different than the poachers hunting tigers for cash. They are taking something for their gain and jeopardizing the rest of us.

Until we can mend the ways of the corporations and governments behind the mass destruction of land, lives and livelihoods, what chance do we have of convincing a poor South American farmer to not clear-cut another 10 acres in the rain forest? Until something is more important than money and power, what chance do we have of surviving? Until average citizens say enough is enough -- that we don't want to cavalierly accept that frogs are ominously growing extra appendages in vital wetlands and that massive chicken farms are still dumping waste into streams and rivers that flow into the Chesapeake Bay -- we are pulling the plug on our existence. Yes, I am calling for more screams of protest. But I am also hoping for greater public awareness and engagement. You don't have to get on a Greenpeace boat to have a positive impact. Small gestures can make a difference if people would only wake up and understand how this spill is the culmination of everything that is internally disappearing within us.

I am reminded of a situation last year when I was quietly sitting on my deck. Two teenagers walked by on a path behind our house. They didn't see me. As they turned a corner, they threw a plastic soda bottle in the bushes of my neighbor's house. I stood up and shouted, "Pick it up." Of course, they were surprised by my appearance. Hearing the tone of my voice, they did pick up the bottle. I thanked them for ultimately doing the right thing, and they moved on, hopefully realizing they were wrong to trash my neighbor's yard.

I believe if everyone spoke up more often, not only would this be a better place to live, but we'd also teach some important lessons to those who are tempted to try to get away with things either out of ignorance or malice. Whether it's two kids littering or BP trashing the entire Gulf of Mexico, we can speak up and help prevent this stuff from reoccurring. We don't have to elect governors like McDonnell, who make campaign promises to bring back good jobs, but do nothing to fulfill those promises. We can exam the records of politicians more closely before voting instead of electing officials by party affiliations or personalities. We can seek out news and information that is objective, instead of getting wound up by radio and TV commentators whose only motivation is to get ratings. We don't have to allow our way of life to be trashed by those with warped and selfish views.

It's up to us whether we continue to trash our waters, mountains, beaches and basic values. We can use this oil spill as a springboard into becoming more informed and more active, and to not allow people and companies with fat wallets and corrupt hearts to dictate what survives and what goes extinct. It starts with individuals being more aware of their surroundings, like the street vendor in New York City who helped avoid another man-made catastrophe in Times Square over the weekend. He saw something suspicious, alerted police and saved a lot of lives. That kind of simple involvement could happen each day in a number of ways that would be good for the planet and for mankind.