We are all familiar with controversy. Whether controversial events are happening within our own lives or in our larger society, controversy can result in a lot of lively water cooler talk, inspire people to take action, and also be a catalyst for serious change. Controversy can be painful, it can be enlightening, it can be uncomfortable. Some of our best advancements have come as a result of controversy. Who doesn’t remember how controversial it was at one time to believe that our universe did not revolve around the Earth?
Some controversies are a result of a crisis, which unfortunately we are currently experiencing as a result of the BP oil spill in the gulf. We are all impacted by this event, regardless of where we specifically live - we are citizens of our global world.
As many of you have heard and read before, I am at my core a hopeful person. My initial response to these unfortunate events was to try to figure out what can be done to resolve this environmental disaster. It’s tempting to focus on blame when something so senseless and harmful happens. In my opinion, we have plenty of time for that later. It is imperative right now for us to fix the immediate issue of the leak so that we can minimize any further damage. After that, we need to thoroughly analyze all of the events and systems that allowed this to occur and develop a long-term solution.
When I read BP’s safety track record, it is obvious to me that our current system of regulation is not working. When I read about the specific events that unfolded and recommendations that were not adhered to that resulted in this environmental disaster, I absolutely could see that we have a lot of areas that need improvement.
This event is controversial in how it transpired as well as for how long it is taking to get a complete resolution to the ongoing disaster. We haven’t truly even begun to understand the long-term impact to our environment, to the individuals who are assisting with the clean up, and to the numerous animals and ecosystems that have been injured. Our global health has been impacted by this event and so many other environmental disasters.
Recently I had an opportunity to reflect just how closely our global health mimics our personal and individual health and wellness. As some of you know, I recently joined the world of social media. While trolling Twitterland recently, I came across an article published in 2007 by the Chicago Tribune. The article discusses a state water permit that BP had been granted in the state of Indiana based on BP’s plans of expansion. The permit allows them to dump 54% more ammonia and 35% more industrial sludge in Lake Michigan each day.
The request to dump more chemicals into the lake ran contrary to the Clean Water Act. So ultimately BP installed equipment, with the permission of state regulators, that allows them to mix the toxic waste 200 feet offshore with clean water. This method of pollution dilution is actually banned for Lake Michigan under Indiana law. BP was granted the first-ever exemption. The creation of 80 jobs trumps environmental pollution apparently.
Outraged? I am! Unbelievably, shortly after I came across this article, I came across another talking about the future of bottling Lake Michigan water as drinking water. My outrage quickly turned into incredulity. If this were a piece of fiction, people would scoff at the impossibility of it all.
These discoveries made me pause. How is it that I was unaware of these events? What news had I been paying attention to during this time in 2007 that occupied my awareness in a way that I didn’t assimilate this news until now? It is challenging in this age of information to know that the news we are receiving is the information that we want to know. Luckily, our new social media networks are assisting us in ways that weren’t available until now. While the messages our bodies send us are often much more subtle at first, the messages are similar.
With the oil spill crisis, we certainly had indicators that could have, should have, and in reality did alert us that things weren’t quite right. We have a lengthy track record of BP’s safety infractions, we have a system of regulation with the major oil companies that has a built in conflict of interest by the regulators. We have events such as that reported by the Chicago Tribune about BP’s activities at the expense of our global environment. Listing all of the warning signs could fill this entire magazine issue and more.
We get similar warning signals from our bodies when things aren’t quite right. We may notice changes in our sleep patterns, there may be subtle or not-so-subtle changes in our bodies, in our sensitivities and our energies.
Controversial or not, the data is there. The trick is to pay attention, to become mindful, to allow ourselves the opportunity to hear the information that is being elevated so that we can begin to address the issues prior to a crisis. Whether the crisis comes in the form of a global disaster or a physical condition or health challenge, awareness expands in response to your direction. As we can see now with the gulf oil disaster, once the crisis occurs, the damage can be much more difficult to deal with.
In hindsight, is there something I could have done to put a stop to these types of activities with BP and with the regulatory system that allowed these types of infractions to continue? By myself, probably not. But perhaps, if I had joined with other individuals to more substantially impact our laws and our systems with my voice, just perhaps I could have made a greater difference. Change happens one person at a time, yet change is hard to initiate without first having an awareness of the issues.
Whether we’re discussing our own personal wellness or a global event, the simple truth is that the more aware we become, the better armed we are to deal with the issues proactively. The gulf oil spill has made me pause to consider other areas of my life that are asking for my attention and my awareness.
In what ways is my life speaking to me? Learning to discern the important messages and data takes a lifetime to perfect. As we can see with the gulf oil tragedy, sometimes those messages are all around us if we stop long enough to listen. Some of the messages that your body and your lives send you are much more subtle at first. You must practice, expanding your awareness as you learn to identify what feels right for you, what’s working and not working as you expand your knowledge.
True, enormous change and growth can result from controversy and crisis. But as we can see first-hand with the unfolding events in the gulf, the results when dealing with both our global and personal wellness can be devastating if we don’t learn to respond to early warning signs. Look at your own life - are there areas that need to be changed so that you can truly be happy and healthy? Is your body trying to tell you that it needs more of something or less of another? For me, this tragedy in our gulf has given me a great gift of evaluating the ways in which I use my awareness so that I can begin to make a greater difference, to our world, and in my life.
