Oiled Great Egret (Photo by Tom Mackenzie, USFWS)
Monitoring the Gulf Oil Spill Numbers of affected wildlife, I recall the movie, "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." There is a scene where the plague has come through old Europe. Two men are pulling a cart heaped with bodies, shouting, "Bring out yer dead!" A body moves on the cart and says, "I'm not dead yet." One of the cart pullers then whacks the man over the head.
As of yesterday, 859 birds and sea turtles have been impacted, the majority have come in dead. As our rescuerers walk the beaches and motor through the oil coated seas, they are heaping remains in coolers and laboratories around the Gulf. The news is dire, and it's almost like many of us wish to say, "I told you so." But the Gulf is not dead yet, nor are the key stone species gone, yet. I wonder if there is something in our attitude and habits that is like whacking the sick and ill over the head. What if we saw more beauty in the world, every day, in each other and in our local communities of mixed species? Would this give us more support, more passion, and more fire to bring our relationships and communities into line with our values and our dreams?
I want to shout to the world not to bring out the dead, but bring out the life, the joy, the beauty in all we do, in every moment, in every breath.
May it be so.
Great Egret (Photo by Mike Baird)
Recent Comments