Good morning, friends. Last night, I laughed when I read a quote written for the cartoon character Homer Simpson. It said "And Lord, we are especially thankful for nuclear power, the cleanest, safest energy source there is. Except for solar, which is just a pipe dream." It made me laugh in spite of myself since it so accurately reflects the thinking of a fairly large group of Americans. Those who apparently believe that anything they do not understand, is simply a myth. This, even as headlines scream how serious the nuclear emergency in Japan, has become.
As a person who chooses to see hope in the darkest of situations, I must admit, I do feel challenged. That is, until I read some releases from various governmental agencies. For the most part, government sources, particularly the military, still insist that the situation is not nearly so dire as it is made out to be; “It is just the press exploiting people’s fears.” Hoping to get at the truth, for the next few hours, I went, back and forth, reading this news story then that; wondering if the truth really is out there. It’s enough to make a person dizzy! Slowly, I sank into the bed and as I rested my head on a non-dizzy producing pillow, I drifted into restless sleep. That is where the world of Amazon Sage and her dream travels often begin.
As we time travelled, I heard Amazon Sage say something like “a picture is worth a thousand words,” and on this night’s sojourn, I saw images I'll never forget. Amazon Sage took me to the dead zone surrounding the old Chernobyl Nuclear Plant, in Russia. Talk about creepy; there was this huge complex, a place that once bustled with life; now with no life to be seen. Buildings that undoubtably cost millions of rubles lay in ruins and the very air felt poisoned. I know, I know, it’s been long enough that the air is probably no longer poisoned, but then again, do you really want to take a chance and move back there? Obviously, the Russians do not. Here and there, of course, there was an odd scientist, with meters, geiger counters, papers and pens, scouring the metaphorical scorched earth.
As I pondered this scene, my mind wandered back to a friend who once told me he had gone to Chernobyl two weeks after the melt down. He said he was trying to make a political point. (Really?) I began to wonder whatever happened to his body since his mind was obviously already off its rocker. Funny, that I never saw him again, after that one chance meeting. That’s when I was whisked away again. Before I knew it, I was standing at Three Mile Island, here in the good ole’ U.S. of A. Brrr... that place (Three Mile), still gives me the shivers and I’m not usually cold. That’s because it was there that another old friend was dosed when she too visited “not too long after their accident.” Unfortunately, I know what happened to her. Within a few years, one of the best and brightest was lost to the world from an aggressive form of leukemia.
Finally, back in my room, in my bed, I mused over the images of not only what was, but what could be. I thought about yet another friend, this one in Japan, and how his life is forever changed. Yet, he does not panic. He does not complain. He works on, lending a hand to his friends and neighbors the way he was taught from birth to do. Ah, hope has returned, because I know that we, as human beings, are mostly like that Japanese friend. For the most part, we humans are faithful, smart, and brave. Yes, we knowingly makes choices that place our lives at risk. Yes, we are willing to offer it for the sake of our families; our fellow humans.
Hope. Sometimes it’s all we have. And when we do, it's not so important whether this or that is the ultimate truth. Hope is enough. That’s because we know in our hearts that somehow we’ll survive if we allow ourselves to heed the example of the Japanese; work together, as if our life depends on it.
As a person who chooses to see hope in the darkest of situations, I must admit, I do feel challenged. That is, until I read some releases from various governmental agencies. For the most part, government sources, particularly the military, still insist that the situation is not nearly so dire as it is made out to be; “It is just the press exploiting people’s fears.” Hoping to get at the truth, for the next few hours, I went, back and forth, reading this news story then that; wondering if the truth really is out there. It’s enough to make a person dizzy! Slowly, I sank into the bed and as I rested my head on a non-dizzy producing pillow, I drifted into restless sleep. That is where the world of Amazon Sage and her dream travels often begin.
As I pondered this scene, my mind wandered back to a friend who once told me he had gone to Chernobyl two weeks after the melt down. He said he was trying to make a political point. (Really?) I began to wonder whatever happened to his body since his mind was obviously already off its rocker. Funny, that I never saw him again, after that one chance meeting. That’s when I was whisked away again. Before I knew it, I was standing at Three Mile Island, here in the good ole’ U.S. of A. Brrr... that place (Three Mile), still gives me the shivers and I’m not usually cold. That’s because it was there that another old friend was dosed when she too visited “not too long after their accident.” Unfortunately, I know what happened to her. Within a few years, one of the best and brightest was lost to the world from an aggressive form of leukemia.
Finally, back in my room, in my bed, I mused over the images of not only what was, but what could be. I thought about yet another friend, this one in Japan, and how his life is forever changed. Yet, he does not panic. He does not complain. He works on, lending a hand to his friends and neighbors the way he was taught from birth to do. Ah, hope has returned, because I know that we, as human beings, are mostly like that Japanese friend. For the most part, we humans are faithful, smart, and brave. Yes, we knowingly makes choices that place our lives at risk. Yes, we are willing to offer it for the sake of our families; our fellow humans.
Hope. Sometimes it’s all we have. And when we do, it's not so important whether this or that is the ultimate truth. Hope is enough. That’s because we know in our hearts that somehow we’ll survive if we allow ourselves to heed the example of the Japanese; work together, as if our life depends on it.
