O.I.L. Only in Louisiana?

The thing about tragedy which we see in the news is that sometimes it hardly seems real.  ”It can’t really be that bad,” we think.  … or numbers and causalities are so high they are incomprehensible.  Often it is easier to tune out the horror we see because the magnitude of what we are seeing is just too great and, after all, what can we do about it?

I think the most powerful number is ONE.  One person has an idenity.  One person has a story.  One person is manageable and we feel empowered to help.  One person is me,  and one person is you.  One person can make a difference.

I think it is somehow easier to see children as individuals.  Sometimes it is only through the lens of childhood – humanity’s shared experience – that we both ground ourselves and are compelled to action.

This series, OBSESSION IGNITED LAMENT  or ONLY IN LOUISIANA? (OIL), warns us to take action now, honor our past, and make better decisions for the sake of our children’s future. Our pasts come in various shapes and sizes and it’s what we do with our past that defines us, not merely the past itself. Our nation’s long-standing obsession with non-renewable resources must end, and the lament from the visible destruction (especially today) ought to urge us away from this unsustainable path that risks lives and the future of the generations to come.

I think it is important to remember that people die so that we can continue to drive our cars and light our homes with fuel from nonrenewable resources.

On April 5th 2010, the big news story was about the Upper Big Branch Mine Disaster.  We were riveted as we waited for news of survivors.  None came.  Twenty-nine people were dead.  That number is comprised of 13 fathers, 29 sons, 14 husbands, 3 grandfathers, uncles, coaches, brothers… not to mention the other roles these men had as providers, friends, and loved ones. 24 children lost their fathers and 6 grandchildren lost their grandfathers (these numbers were hard to come by – some miners didn’t have obituaries –  and are most likely low, but the best I could figure from my research).  Many of the miners were too young to be married and start families.  One man was just 5 weeks from retirement and had booked a cruise for he and his wife in May to celebrate.  And that is just the story of one.  This was the worst coal disaster in US history since 1970.

Then 15 days later the story vanished from the headlines.

On Tuesday, April 20th 2010, an oil rig exploded off the coast of Louisiana.  The Deepwater Horizon rig explosion killed 11 men.  Among them, 9 fathers, 10 husbands, 11 sons, uncles, co-workers… not to mention AGAIN the other roles these men had as providers, friends, and loved ones.  17 children are left fatherless as a result of this tragedy.  One child, the second child of Gordon Jones and his wife, was born weeks after his father died and will never feel his father’s embrace.

I guess that I made these images to help us remember that it’s not just pelicans and otters that get covered in our excavated nonrenewable resources.  As a culture we are neck deep in it and we, each ONE of us, needs to find our own small ways to help curb this addiction we have on nonrenewable energy.

- use less plastic (a byproduct of oil) and recycle that which you do use

- drive fuel efficient cars.  When the time comes, spend a little extra and buy a hybrid or electric vehicle (EV)

- support the development of wind and solar power

- walk when you can

- ride a bike when you can

- spend more time outside, appreciating the world we live in and less time playing video games and watching tv

- bring your own bag to the store

- recycle, reuse, reduce, and repurpose

- support locally grown food and goods that didn’t have to be shipped a long way

- use it up, wear it our, make it do or do without!

- be horrified by the waste around you – see it, it’s there

- Share a tip with a friend.  If you have a good one share it below

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A big thank you to Maia, Victoria, Taran, Kathrine, Alexandra, Jaxson, Gianna and Elizabeth for all your help and concern in making these images.

ALSO

Thank you to all the men who who work the mines and oil fields to provide energy for our country.  You are amazing and far too often overlooked and forgotten.  Know that at least one person (me) appreciates and honors what you do.  I pray for your work environment to be more safe until the day when we refuse to send the children of man into the mountains to power our indulgences.  Thank you for your courage and sacrifice.

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This is a picture of Jenny Waycaster as she waits for news of her son, Ken Lambert, following a mining accident near Montcoal, W.Va. Monday, April 5, 2010. (AP Photo/Bob Bird)

Follow this link to a video / Washington Post article about another miner.

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