What can you accomplished in 52 days? By the end of the second month of a baby's life he will have more control over his neck, he will be able to keep his head up when you hold him in a sitting position. His hands also start to unfold. At this time the baby will pack on as much as half a pound a week.
In 52 days the 2010 Soccer World Cup that is starting on June 11th will be a dream and many will go back to their routine and the yelling and excitement to the TV will be all gone.
52 days of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the worst is not over. Time's magazine this week reported "by the end of May, according to the best estimates of the daily leakage rate, the well had poured at least 20 million gal of crude into the Gulf" On the same note The USA Today's headline on June 9th reads "Even the 'best' outcome won't be good."
On that newspaper they estimate that even with the cap in place over the leaking well, 10,000 barrels will still flow into the open water each day.
There is no doubt that this is an ecological catastrophe that no one knows for sure how much it will affect the Gulf ecosystem, from shoreline to deep sea. What the scientist forecast is disastrous.
The question remains, what really happened? was it avoidable if better technology and safety features might have been in place and working? what this the result of negligence?
If you are not a scientist, fishermen or even live in the coastal areas of the Gulf of Mexico, should you care about this problem? I hope you do.
I hope you can stop for a moment and reflect on your livelihood and its relationship to the oil spill. Most people want a big house, a big truck (we even have the Texas Edition), an air conditioning unit blasting under 70 degrees on hot days and rarely we stop to think on our impact to the environment we live in; and the resources needed to have all the commodities of the modern life at our fingertips. How much is greed at fault of this environmental disaster?
In yoga we practice Aparigraha, one of the Yamas or abstentions. It means non-greed. Some teachers believe that this is one of the most important yamas and the key to control prana (life-force).
When a yogi practices Aparigraha, he lives within his means and gives back a portion of what he has to a nobler cause.
Sri Goswami Kriyananda on Aparigraha mentions "craving for pleasures... intensifies and activates beyond normalcy the organs of the senses, causing a person to commit violence, in one way or another, against others, and against his own self" 1
Aparigraha allows the yogi to look at the mind and watch its cravings and desires, the mind will never be satisfied and that is the nature of the mind. The yogi reflecting on this starts getting away from the identification with the mind and start becoming happier living a balanced, comfortable and creating a livelihood within his means.
The consequences of the oils spill will affect all of us, take some time and see what can you do to live within your means, protecting the environment you are in and giving back to those less fortunate than you.
Make this oil spill be a lesson for all of us from the oil companies to our children so we can learn to venerate the environment we are in and look for ways to diminish our impact on it.
Here is a link to the WWF where you will find information and how to help with the clean up and recovery of the Gulf of Mexico.
1 Sri Goswami Kriyananda (1976) The Spiritual Science of Kriya Yoga. Published by the Temple of Kriya Yoga. p16-19
You are absolutely right, Rocio. I fear that this ongoing disaster is a giant nail in the coffin for the gulf coast's recovery from years of recession and hurricane devastation.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the link