Nothing Lasts Forever ...

Now, don't hang on,

nothing last forever but the

Earth and sky.

It slips ... away,

and all your money

won't another minute buy.

(Kansas, "Dust in the Wind")

I have always loved the song "Dust in the Wind"; it is prophetic and true, for all we are is "just a drop of water in an endless sea".

I have found in my 57 years that life is an interesting mix of what we want and what we need, and is ever so convoluted by our desire to be eternal, all-knowing masters of our universe.

The truth is, "All we do crumbles to the ground though we refuse to see." There is not a single thing man has created, built or brought to fruition that will endure as long as the Earth, for every molecule that was here remains; everything returns to the Earth eventually.

It seems to me that what we want is to survive -- if not forever, then for at least as long as we are able to. Yet we seem to be in such a hurry to eradicate ourselves.

The definition of insanity comes into play here: to keep doing the same things over and over, and to expect different results. Yet that is exactly what we're doing, over and over, day after day.

When will the day come when we finally take the proverbial "look in the mirror" at our existence and realize that we don't have the right to destroy our planet? It is only on loan to us, and every other creature that shares this amazing biosystem has the right to feel safe and secure in the fact that it will endure.

We have the capability to ensure that our existence is more than just existing -- that there can be a measure of quality in our being here -- but not at the expense of all others living and sharing this home.

Statistically we are losing the battle, so to speak:

Each Minute ...

-51 acres of tropical forests are destroyed

-35,000 barrels of oil are consumed

-50 tons of fertile topsoil are washed or blown off cropland

-12,000 tons of carbon dioxide are added to the atmosphere

Each Hour ...

-1692 acres of productive dryland becomes desert

-1800 children die of malnutrition and hunger (15 million/yr.)

-$120 million are spent on military expenditures (1 trillion/yr.)

-55 people are poisoned by pesticides; 5 die

-60 new cases of cancer are diagnosed in the U.S. alone

(500,000 each year with 20,000 leading to death)

Each Day ...

-230,000+ babies are born

-25,000 people die of water shortage or contamination

-10 tons of nuclear waste are generated by 350 nuclear plants

-250,000 tons of sulfuric acid falls as acid rain in the Northern Hemisphere

-60 tons of plastic packaging and 372 tons of fishing net are dumped into

the sea by commercial fishermen

-6 species become extinct

We are very special and we are this planet's worst nightmare. We need to get a grip on this situation before the situation is an event of catastrophic proportions. We can do this; we can stop. It will be painful -- as they say, "No pain, no gain." It may sound trite, but it is true.

... Let's say that the funds directed to the Iraq / Afghanistan war were to be directed instead to helping humanity survive as opposed to leading us down the road to our demise as a species ... just imagine.

Blessings on you all, and prayers for a safer tomorrow.

(Statistics are current as of 1998.)