A Zen Slap

Will The BP Oil Spill Be Our Collective Zen Slap Into Eco-Realization?

Is this synchronicity or what? In the span of a several weeks we have not one, not two, not three, but four disasters (disruptions, accidents, call them what you will) that really ought to be a big old cosmic Zen slap on the back jolting us into eco-realization. We even have an vision of the way forward plopped right into the middle of it all. The question that remains: Will the slap be hard enough to make us see what future is right in front of us, if we want it?

We had the coal mine tragedy. Volcano. Earth Day. And now - oil washing up on shore.

When it comes down to it, it's at least partially because we simply don't recognize the inherent right of species other than our own to exist. The value of the Gulf of Mexico is only calculated in monetary terms, in relation to the utility to humans. That perspective simple has got to change. We can no longer act in the world like homo sapiens is the only species that matters, that has inherent rights.

That's the big eco-realization that could happen out of all these events. It's the one that has to happen (and truth be told I'm convinced it will eventually...) if we are to live in an ecologically sustainable way, one which doesn't consume resources equal to multiple planets while living on one. But I don't expect us to collectively wake up right now.

The smaller eco-realization, the one which really could happen because of the events of March/April 2010, the one potential possibility realistically brought about by this cosmic slap, is that we truly turn away from fossil fuel addiction, admit we have a problem and embark on a green twelve step program. Check ourselves into rehab and reassess the path we're on.

Let's hope the slap moves us to one of these options.