I haven’t really had much to say regarding the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that has been ongoing since April. I have simply been left speechless and outraged, and there seems no end in sight, so it seems that those feelings won’t be going away either anytime soon. Aside from posting headlines on our social networking sites for Paragon Earth to help keep people informed, my soul has been busy aching over the images of destruction, and the fire inside me has been burning higher and stronger every time another lie or selfish line comes spewing forth from BP’s mouth; never mind the lack of action by the U.S. government, its rejection of help offered by foreign nations (http://ow.ly/23i7d), and the blatant disregard by all at fault of the solutions set forth by everyone from non-profit organizations to celebrities to everyday citizens. While the people cry over lost profits due to the loss of oil or of fish stocks, I care only for our planet and for our future. The threat is one that could very well destroy our oceans, the oil even reaching the northeastern coast where I reside. It all seems unfathomable, so unreal, but it’s reality, and there seems nothing that we can do. While we all go about our days, going through our routines, living life, the animals in the Gulf try to do the same but find themselves poisoned and struggling to survive instead.
I have come to realize even more strongly that corporations control this country, as the EPA seems to have little authority over what BP does, and, as I stated already, the government has been largely absent in attempts to clean up the oil and provide funding to local governments trying to do it themselves. For example, why is it that, when the EPA told BP that the chemical dispersant they were using was too toxic compared to other alternatives, the corporation continued on? Why is it that Louisiana hasn’t yet received any of the funding it’s requested to start their own cleanup? Who is really running our country, and our world?
Our selfish dependency on oil is what led to this. There are alternative forms of energy out there. And while it will take years for those sources to become as reliable or efficient or abundant enough as oil, there hasn’t been enough action towards those goals in the meantime, so the deadline for alternative energy sources keeps getting pushed back. While other countries are so far ahead of the game, America drags its feet, because oil companies and corporations are too closely connected with the politicians in charge. We have all sold our souls to corporations like BP for the convenience, for the laziness they allow us to have. And the oil spill in the Gulf is one huge reminder of the cost: the death of our only home and of our kindred animal and plant spirits.
Because humanity on a whole has lost its connection with the planet--the Mother that brings forth all life--we allow such reckless actions as drilling 5,000 feet below sea level. Our desperate attempts at controlling oil stocks, at profiting off a natural resource that should remain within the core of the planet because it has its purpose there, have caused the worst environmental disaster in human history, and we will deal with the consequences for decades or even hundreds of years to come. This oil will not only affect the local animals and environment, it will affect the world. In turning our backs on the Source of Life we have turned our backs on ourselves and our future. And despite the devastation, you will see pro-oil lobbyists and politicians still drilling, still selling, still dealing this destructive drug we have become so addicted to.
And we are all at fault, myself included, but mostly because we have no choice. So many of us want to change our daily habits to become “greener” but are left with few options, especially if you’re of the lower and middle classes and find it difficult to afford more expensive forms of energy. Lack of oversight, lack of concern, the lust for money, the greed…the list goes on for the reasons that this tragedy occurred, like so many before it in the oil industry, and like so many to come. Yet no one ever learns, and the common populace is ignored and used and our votes fall on deaf ears, because no matter what, the corporations’ wishes are the only ones that are fulfilled. Our water and air are polluted all in the name of profit for the elite, and we suffer the consequences alongside the wildlife and the plant life.
So it’s about damn time we do something about it. Anyone with suggestions, comments, insights, etc. who wish to begin an intelligent, open-minded discussion here, please feel free to leave your comments below. We need to take back control, but we need strength in numbers and we all need to do our part to work towards the solutions. Let this be the last time an oil spill destroys our present and threatens our future.
- Lisa Selvaggio
*For headlines regarding the BP Oil Spill, visit http://www.paragonearth.org/
- Lisa Selvaggio
*For headlines regarding the BP Oil Spill, visit http://www.paragonearth.org/
(Originally Posted 6/9/10)
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