As I read and hear more about the calamity in the Gulf I am reminded of the part in The Lord of the Rings when the fellowship goes into the Mines of Moria and discover what the Dwarfs had done. The Dwarfs were wiped out because they dug too deep and awoke the ancient horror of the Balrog. This is what we have done in the Gulf. In our pursuit of riches BP went into depths way beyond what our current technology can support, working at depths with unbelievable pressure. And now, besides the bleeding oil, there is vast amounts of methane gas emerging that will likely create miles of dead zones--zones completely bereft of life. And there are concerns by scientists that this rising methane will create a bubble that may explode and create a tsunami and/or a death cloud. When I was living in Cameroon in the 80s there was a methane bubble that erupted from a crater lake. It swept down the mountainside killing everything in its path.
Maybe this will wake us up and we will be more conscious in our relationships with the Earth, recognizing that everything and everyone is connected, that we can't profit at all if we abuse any part of that connection. That is what I hope for and pray for. May we all become Gandalfs, meet our Balrogs and serve the Whole.
