I saw the oceans turning a milky gray, all life gone away from the waters, and people asked, “What do we do
now?” and “How do we fix it?” as they coughed and drew their final breaths in total disbelief.
Imagine that the oceans of the world could be compared to a giant aquarium. The aquarium has a drip
system at one end from which chemicals slowly drip into the water. Chlorine, ammonia and dish washing detergent,
in very minute amounts, are dripped into the tank representing the dilution system of waste disposal most popularly used in
getting rid of such household wastes. In one dream, I was prepared with exacting statistics about the quantity
of all the chemicals being flushed and dumped all over the world, and I had interesting charts and graphs and figures about
such things as how many Roman Coliseum sized volumes of chlorine were dumped into the oceans every year.
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"...modern indoor plumbing might be the most devastating weapon
ever invented against the natural environment..."
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When I referred to this idea at a lecture I attended, I received a very interesting response.
At a lecture by Fritjof Capra and Stanislov Grof among others, I stood in line to take my turn at the microphone during
the question and answer period. As I began speaking, referring to myself as a “radical systems thinker”,
I stated that modern indoor plumbing might be the most devastating weapon ever invented against the natural environment.
Before I could continue on to explain that I was referring to the dissemination of chemicals, such as chlorine and
detergents into the oceans, a very angry gentleman in the back of the room shouted out “I’m not giving up my toilet!”
The following murmur in the audience nearly drowned out my final remarks and the question I had planned to form degenerated
into a feeble, “What do you think of that?”, and I took my polite response from the speakers and was relieved
to sit down.
The very suggestion that ordinary everyday life might have fundamental flaws
contributing to the death of the natural environment seemed repugnant, at least to some very vocal folks. Modern
conveniences, as with modern beliefs, seem to be off limits in the making of a future Paradigm shift. But,
where did the requirement for bright white sheets and underwear come from? Is this a real need or a manufactured
one? Did the sanitizing of laundry in the era of the Black Plague lead to this principle, or was it an
advertising campaign? In any case, it is something that must be addressed sooner or later.
The alternative is to move along with the status quo to wait and see what happens. What color might
the seas be without the green of life? Does anyone really want to know? The level of
awareness that goes along with actions and behaviors, such as pouring bleach into the washing machine, must be very low due
to factors of habit and beliefs about what is best and good. The advertising related to these acts are
often very pleasant, positive, and even sexy.
Ideas that are sexy, powerful, distracting, and addicting, can take us into a virtual world in which humans relate
to ideas more closely than to reality and the natural world. What is happening worldwide is a growing gulf
between what is needed to live in a healthy and sustainable manner in our limited natural environment, and what we want.
Apathy and indifference seem to grow with the ever-increasing size of the dilemma giving a hint to the workings of
consciousness and the ability to adapt. Confusion and illusion are also powerful factors. What weapon can
there be against such powerful things as ideas and beliefs but undeniable catastrophic calamity? If indeed
the oceans of the world turn milky gray from build up of pollutants and chemical reactions, the answer to the question, “What do we do about it now?” will be “Nothing” by that
point in time. Perhaps there is no way out. This book makes a sincere and compassionate
effort to point to the inevitable end of the current program to perhaps contribute to other voices in the global wake up call,
and perhaps make some kind of real and lasting positive change, if there is still time.
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Too little too late Dept....people are just now noticing, 37 years after the first Earth Day, that
poisons are going down the drain and into the water ways, bays, and ocean....
from the front page
of the San Francisco Chronicle, Wednesday 11, 2007:
Danger feared from chemicals getting
into bay - ....Sophisticated sewage systems treat biodegradable food, human waste and metals, but they are
not designed to capture the thousands of tons of synthetic chemicals used to manufacture cosumer products, say officials at
East Bay Municipal Utility District, who found evidence of potentially harmful substances in sewage from business and homes....
This should not be news. It should have been common knowledge at least 50 years ago. What
else is there we are blind to in some ways? Have we been asleep?