I just watched President Obama make his announcement of funding for a new nuclear power plant in Maryland. He reminded me of two stories I would like to share.
On a boat trip between Tahiti and Moorea, in the French Polynesian islands in the early 1980's, I was enchanted with the flying fish. I approached the captain and asked if it would be possible for me to sit on the bow of the 42 foot CrisCraft taxi, so I might see the fish more clearly.
Giving me a bemused look, he said, "Ah! All of you Americans make so many rules in the belief that you can control death. Of course. Have a seat. Enjoy the fish."
I suppose the reason I remember that episode so clearly is the the almost daily encounters with rules we make, all designed to create the illusion we can beat death.
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Last year the North Carolina legislature passed some rules. The school year must not start before August 27th and must end by June 15th. I think I have those dates right...) They also ruled that the children in the state must attend school for a minimum of 180 days each calendar year.
This has created a great deal of chaos in the school districts of western North Carolina. The mountain have received a great deal of snow fall, forcing the cancellation of many school days this year. Enough days have been lost that the districts can not meet the new ruling.
The Superintendents have vowed to change the law since the law does not take into account the weather patterns in western NC.
The Tourist Bureau and the Chamber of commerce have vowed to fight the proposed change. It seems that they don't want education to intrude on tourism.
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We demand that we be protected from any possible problems that nuclear power might create. We rant and rally, write and threaten.
We also demand that green house gases be curbed and gradually eliminated. We demand that these actions be instituted immediately, citing the future of the planet and species extinction.
Then we turn on our computers, while sitting next to a broadcast from MSNBC, to post a brief comment on our favorite blog, just before we jump in the car, drive to the market, and purchase tomatoes shipped from Chili in the middle of the Northern Hemisphere winter.
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We can't have it all!
we can't have unlimited power and total safety. We can't place legal limits on on the time frame for activities and then demand that those activities proceed regardless of the reality of the moment. We can't live forever, and we can't continue to engage in these self-contradictory acts that make us look insane.
Thank you Mr. President, for offering a voice of sanity, in spite of our obstinate refusal to deal with the reality we have created.