· mistakes happen…when people and corporations cut corners to save money and increase profits, accidents often follow. It involves the law of unintended consequences…as Sir Isaac Newton stated: “Every action has an equal but opposite reaction.” When a person does A, it causes B, or C, or D to happen
· people’s lives can end suddenly and without warning…the unfortunate workers who died such tragic deaths when the oil rig exploded never thought that their lives would end on that particular day
· people’s livelihoods can be decimated instantly…tens upon tens of thousands of people’s lives have been changed by one terrible disaster. Not only have people lost their jobs and businesses failed, but some will experience bankruptcies, foreclosures, divorces, suicides, depression, financial hardships, and dozens of other negative results that are destined to follow
· government can’t solve all problems…even though our president claimed that he and the government were in control of this situation, reality has proven otherwise. The entire situation seems to be that of attempting to manage an unmanageable disaster and the government can’t wave a magic wand and make it go away
· bureaucracy fails…those in charge of regulating off-shore drilling had become corrupt and lax in enforcement of laws, safety practices, and well-intended regulations that failed
· man is finite…though he brings all his best resources to the problem, he is unable to quickly stop something that is out of control
· man can’t destroy the environment…believe it or not, at the time of this writing this is still only the 4th largest oil spill in world history. Tragically, before it is finished, this could easily become the worst spill of all. We need and will eventually develop alternative sources of energy. While that is a much-needed priority, stopping the flow from this well is an even greater priority at present
· along with oil, greed has surfaced…scam artists seized upon the disaster immediately as successful attempts were made and continue to be made to rip people off at every possible juncture
· politicians never wish to “waste a good crisis”…when it comes to an oil spill of this magnitude, there is no such thing a “good crisis;” it’s time for all politicians to stop playing politics and concentrate all their efforts on mitigation and cessation of the disaster. Where are our statesmen of old?
· we need God more than we can ever know…while life on this planet is robust, it is also fragile; God blessed us with his wonderful creation and we should do our best to take care of it…”For the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.” I Corinthians 10:26
Will the oil spill eventually be stopped? While no one knows the future with absolute certainty, one has to hope so. Pray for those who are attempting to stop the flow. Pray for those who are making inroads in recovery and cleanup, and finally, pray for the tens upon tens of thousands whose lives will be adversely affected for years, if not generations to come.
