The Island of Blessing
The word Fukushima means Island of Fortune or Island of Blessing. A cursory assessment of recent events at Fukushima appear to be anything but fortunate, and yet it is possible in the way we respond to these events to translate them into among the most blessed events to ever take place in human history. It is to this end that I write.
The radioactive waste produced by nuclear power plants remains deadly for an unimaginable ten thousand years. I use the word “unimaginable” not as hyperbole or to dramatize, but to state simple fact. It is impossible to relate to the idea of 10,000 years. The American Civil war was 1.5% of 10,000 years ago. Columbus sailed across the Atlantic 5% of 10,000 years ago. Jesus pronounced the Sermon on the Mount 20% of 10,000 years ago. The area around Chernobyl and Fukushima will be uninhabitable for about 400 generations. It seems that as a globalized culture, we have considered neither the birds of the air nor the flowers of the fields, let alone our children and the world we leave to them. Though economics and politics are involved, the morality engendered within the issue of nuclear energy trumps these other issues. This is not to say those who see things differently from me are immoral. Such clearly operate from a different sense of morality from myself. Nevertheless, given the way I see things, I cannot help but write as an attempt to do what I can against the use of nuclear fission for the sake of energy.
We are leaving a legacy that declares our deluded purpose and deadly priority for a longer period of time than the human mind is able to properly comprehend. Our lust for and addiction to power blinds us of reason and measure. Some will say that I am blowing things out of proportion; others that there is nothing we can do. Yet as a member of earth, I cannot help but write. This is my planet too. More to the point, this planet is me, and you and all of us. How we interact with earth, with her creatures and with one another dictates our sense of self. What is happening in Fukushima in a real way is happening to me and you and all of us. The deadly consequences of the radiation leakage is not merely physical, but spiritual and psychological as well. We are constantly in the process of writing our own humanity.
The humanity we are currently writing is one of arrogant shortsightedness and false compartmentalization. We are describing ourselves as an addict so desperate for the big fix that we are willing to accept the consequences of permanent collective psychic and physucal damage. How many 10,000 year death-stains must we leave across the globe before we are willing to wean ourselves of our addiction to cheap, fast power? When will we hit bottom? How is it even legal that nuclear power plants exist? This is my earth too and I protest.
We have options. We can use less electricity. The sea and sun, wind and land all invite us to harvest their resources without ill consequence or depletion. Even if nuclear power did not involve deadly uncontrollable waste, it still produces large amounts of heat which affects our environment, our collective being. Each reactor is hotter than the center of the sun. This is us. As addicts, we will not readily part with our drug, I know, and yet I cannot help but speak up and out.
Yet we have options. We can write to our representatives, pushing for investment in renewable and harmless energy sources and pushing for the closure of nuclear energy. We can use as little power as possible. We can fit our homes (if we have them) with wind and solar energy collectors. We can train our children to understand that we are one people on the earth and that as a people we are inherently one with the earth herself. What we do to our mother, we do to ourselves. How we treat her reveals our true nature.
Pursuit of power--in every sense of that word--is the heart of the problem. Now is the time. We either transition to a balance and harmony paradigm within which we frame the purpose of our technology and ingenuity, or we continue on our current path of destruction until we are so crippled by its consequences that we are forced to change by sheer agony. We are gods. There is no doubt left. We have been given the fire from heaven and we can control all that we put our mind to. Our power is fearful and awesome. Now that we have proven our ability to completely manipulate our external environment, let us now turn that power upon our internal landscape. Let us tame our own minds and and our lust for control. Let us reinvent our humanity according to a narrative of respect, gentleness, harmony and wisdom concerning the interrelatedness of all events and all life-forms.
Earth Day is on April 22nd. My idea is that on Earth Day, we all turn off a light or as many lights as possible-an international voluntary black out--and spend 5 or more minutes in private meditation, prayer or any other form of focused concentration on caring for mother earth and specifically in eliminating our use of nuclear energy. We can have an international black out day to state our desire for weaning off nuclear.
Let’s turn this tragedy on the Island of Blessing into a blessing by learning our lesson sooner rather than later.
