Monday, January 03, 2005
Tsunami
A huge wave reared up out of the ocean one Sunday afternoon, and an unimaginable possibility came to pass.
Human beings are not wired to recognize a distant threat. Every day we jump into our cars, though the odds are such that we've take a risk far greater than that of being struck by lightening or bombed with an airplane.
We live in an age of optimism. We send men to the moon, alter genetic destinies, put tiny robots into our bloodstream. Who wants the role of prophet of doom?
What was the initial reaction of people who detected the earthquake, which led to the tsunami, which led to so much disaster and inestimable destruction and grief?
It was disbelief. Minimization. Denial.
Does the tsunami have anything to do with global warming, with the environmental changes that human beings are effecting through the release of greenhouse gases?
Yes. It was predicted to happen. One year ago, a scientist even pinpointed the Indian Ocean. But very few people entertained the idea.
Those who detected the earthquake initially underestimated it. Those who were warned failed to recognize the consequences or imagine the magnitude of what was at hand.
A village of Thai fisherman, on the other hand, were saved from the tsunami by a proverb passed down by their elders. Intially, the sea was pulled off the beaches, a strange portent that many noticed but few understood. In this village, the elders heeded the signal.
What we are doing to our environment is also happening, but it's a disaster in slow motion.
As people contemplate the damage of the tsunami, wonder at the terrible power of nature, and our own vulnerability in the face of it, this is the time to wake up.
Counting the blessings of 2004, a few events jump out. We had three hurricanes in Florida, an enormous chunk of the arctic shelf fell off, and a tsunami hit half of Asia. What kind of signal do we need?
Cassandra was the goddess in Greek mythology cursed with a gift. She could see the future but could get no one to listen.
We find ourselves in the same position.
On the executive branch sits a trio of monkeys, one with his hands over his eyes, one with her hands over her ears, and one with his hands over his mouth.
Human beings are not wired to recognize a distant threat. Every day we jump into our cars, though the odds are such that we've take a risk far greater than that of being struck by lightening or bombed with an airplane.
We live in an age of optimism. We send men to the moon, alter genetic destinies, put tiny robots into our bloodstream. Who wants the role of prophet of doom?
What was the initial reaction of people who detected the earthquake, which led to the tsunami, which led to so much disaster and inestimable destruction and grief?
It was disbelief. Minimization. Denial.
Does the tsunami have anything to do with global warming, with the environmental changes that human beings are effecting through the release of greenhouse gases?
Yes. It was predicted to happen. One year ago, a scientist even pinpointed the Indian Ocean. But very few people entertained the idea.
Those who detected the earthquake initially underestimated it. Those who were warned failed to recognize the consequences or imagine the magnitude of what was at hand.
A village of Thai fisherman, on the other hand, were saved from the tsunami by a proverb passed down by their elders. Intially, the sea was pulled off the beaches, a strange portent that many noticed but few understood. In this village, the elders heeded the signal.
What we are doing to our environment is also happening, but it's a disaster in slow motion.
As people contemplate the damage of the tsunami, wonder at the terrible power of nature, and our own vulnerability in the face of it, this is the time to wake up.
Counting the blessings of 2004, a few events jump out. We had three hurricanes in Florida, an enormous chunk of the arctic shelf fell off, and a tsunami hit half of Asia. What kind of signal do we need?
Cassandra was the goddess in Greek mythology cursed with a gift. She could see the future but could get no one to listen.
We find ourselves in the same position.
On the executive branch sits a trio of monkeys, one with his hands over his eyes, one with her hands over her ears, and one with his hands over his mouth.
