Monday, May 10, 2010

Is the Gulf of Mexico taking things personally, fighting back?

It’s interesting (not unusual) to watch the drama and conflict unfold in the Gulf of Mexico between man and nature.

When BP engineers recently used undersea robots to maneuver a gigantic metal chamber over a gushing oil well, their efforts were made to appear puny by the raw force of frigid temperatures and unpredictable challenges.

It’s as if two giants - one representing man, the other nature - are squaring off, waist deep in crude, and man is learning, perhaps too late, he has entered a battle of his own making woefully underprepared and ignorant of the shear power in the fists of his opponent.


If it was a science fiction story (unfortunately it's not), I’d say nature’s giant is fighting off a lesser opponent in order to protect what is rightfully his, or to proclaim he is not one to be domineered at a whim.

As easy-to-reach-oil disappears, man (consumed with desire to maintain his riches based on the power of fossil fuels) will venture forth into other gulfs and sea beds and difficult terrains.

In those places, will he meet other natural giants that wield powers beyond his understanding?


Hmm. Where’s the Green Hornet when you really need him?

.

2 comments:

bobbie said...

Where, indeed?

And when will we ever learn?

G. Harrison said...

Hi bobbie,

we do learn so slowly. This lesson in the Gulf might be a very valuable one this year!

GH