Fukushima

Fukushima..I wonder what the English translation of that is? Aptly and prophetically named?. Undoubtedly. Ten thousand people, men, women, and children are dead, forever and anonymously buried in a lethal gamma ray field with possibly more to come. There is a plume, the result of multiple nuclear catastrophes, failed attempts of containment, man’s unbridled ambition and disregard for consequences, that is headed for the United States with possible long range, world wide implications. So the question in everyone’s mind must be: Why are we building nuclear power plants on the rim of fire? Are we so arrogant to assume that we have complete control over the consequences of our greed for more wealth? of our actions? It is becoming blatantly obvious that our desire for electrical power and the comfort it provides is short-circuiting our good sense. Governments, US and Japan are minimizing the devastation. There are special interests in the news proclaiming that nuclear power is safe.
We all now know, despite the lies we are being told that it is not safe. Didn’t someone say about the Titanic that the ship is so well designed that even God couldn't sink her? What arrogance! Can it be true that mankind has evolved to the point where we have indeed become the Earth’s parasite; an infection in an otherwise pristine planet-- The flip side of intelligence? Is there any question that in the past 100 years we have squandered her resources fighting among ourselves. Even as a child I knew of the finality of Earth’s resources. I remember asking my mother when very young: “What will we do when the Earth runs out of oil Mom?” Her response: “They will find other sources.” Nuclear power is one of those resources. Within us, within our desires for more, for comfort at any cost are housed the seeds of our own destruction. Have we the wherewithal to discipline ourselves, indeed make the necessary sacrifices to save ourselves from the fate foretold by the microcosm of Easter Island? Were the American Indians, who lived one with the land, who were such an integrated part of the Earth that progress was seen as their, and Mother Earths enemy, a culture where progress was so foreign they they were found living up to the 19th century without even the wheel wrong? By our standards they were. Many will come to realize now that they were right. Conquered by progress as they were, by an invasion of wealth seeking technologists they lived as the human race may yet wind up living. Are we coming full circle back to their life style? It may be our only means of survival, borne by the few who survive the self inflicted wound of their conquerors. Mother Earth will survive for billions of more years before being swallowed by our Sun, the giver and eventual taker of life on Earth. The Earth may well be here to see that time. There exists the very real possibility that the human race will perish long before then. Escape to other planets? Maybe, but if we can do that then it follows our technology and hubris, yea the seeds of our own destruction will accompany us.