Keeping the BP Disaster in Perspective

I was watching the news recently, listening to several stations continue to report on the BP oil-spill-disaster, showing countless pictures of oil covered critters, and diagrams with plums of oil filling up most of the gulf. Reporters over and over indicated that this event was the worst industrial disaster the world had ever seen. Reactions from many have been to consider boycotting BP filling stations, and donating money/time to the efforts to cleanup the animals, and the coast affected by the tragedy. Enraged by the greed of BP Execs and many engineers who “overlooked” certain warning signs focusing on a bottom line profit, many are calling for the BP execs to be tried in court, and held responsible for their actions. But is this really the worst case of greed and negligence the world has ever seen? Are these BP teams who are seeking profit really guilty of the worst case of disaster capitalism the world has seen?

In December of 1984 a Union Carbide (now owned by Dow Chemical) pesticide plant exploded in Bhopal killing over 5,000 people, and leaving over 120,000 others with a need for lifelong care. After the disaster, Union Carbide settled with the Indian government for $470 million….$350 million of which was the insurance sum…meaning that most of the victims got less than $1000 dollars each. When Dow purchased Union Carbide in 2001, there was finally hope that victims from the Bhopal incident when Dow announced that it would promptly “compensate victims of Union Carbide’s past negligence”. Dow promptly paid over $2 billion to… 14 asbestos plaintiffs in Texas, doing nothing for the victims who were continuing to suffer in Bhopal. Worse still, some 25 years AFTER the incident, some 390 tons of toxic chemicals abandoned at the UC plant CONTINUE to leak into the groundwater of the region affecting thousands of residents that depend on it. Not only was the area not cleaned up, and not only were the victims not taken care of, but the incident has continued to affect generations beyond the explosion due to the lack of concern for taking care of the area.

The BP incident in the gulf is terrible. The beauty and wildlife of that region have been destroyed, and may likely be affected for several generations to come…but looking at the numbers from the explosion itself, of the 126 oil workers who were on board the BP oil rig… 11 people went missing, and an additional 8 were critically injured. So well say that 19 people were DIRECTLY affected from the explosion of the rig… that is .000152% of the number of people who were affected by what happened in Bhopal.

A valid argument would say that as of now, we cant tell definitely how many people may be impacted by eating fish from the contaminated area, or drinking water from that area in the gulf. Very true. It’s also very difficult to compare the disasters based on the value of human life alone, when so many animals, and so much of the ocean has been destroyed by this disaster. But this is also not the first time we have seen greed take precedence over the value of the environment, and especially over the value of human lives. I don’t write all of this to say, “Get over the BP thing” or to try to say it isn’t that bad. I hate that animals are getting sick, I hate that the once beautiful coastline is being destroyed, and I hate that oil continues to leak into the ocean. I am saying that I believe we need some perspective on what is going on here, and we need to recognize that we have the opportunity to do something about it. Daily we have the opportunity to cast our vote for corporate accountability, greed, and/or negligence. With every dollar you spend, you are casting your vote…buying from a company that has ethical standards, and supporting what they do. BP is obviously not the first company to ever cut corners to lower costs and increase profits at the cost of the environment and human lives. Many of the products we purchase every day are made in less than savory environments for people working for well under what we would consider a fair days wage.

Should BP be held accountable for what went on? Definitely, but hopefully this will also serve as a wakeup call that above huge profits, the preservation of human lives, and the care for the environment deserve a value on a company’s spreadsheet. So vote. Do your homework; try buying a product that might be slightly more expensive if you recognize that the company’s values are in line with your own. Don’t let BP off the hook, we can’t let this be another Bhopal…Encourage social and environmental responsibility with the way you spend your $$.

When Reason Runs Out

I have a particular pattern of reason that I apply to almost any decision or stressful situation. I’ve spent time analyzing that pattern, and seeing why it has often left me with the same result, even though I sometimes feel like it isn’t work. For example, not too long ago I bought a car. Anytime I intend to make a major purchase like this, I thoroughly evaluate all potential sides of the decision. Is this something I need? Will this be something that will last long? Is this the best price? What are my alternatives to spending this amount of money on this particular item? The list goes on.
After taking some time to ask those seemingly tedious questions, I start to seek the council of another. This sometimes comes in the form of a friend or family member, but can also be done researching online. What do people think about this product? What are the positives and negatives to ownership? What do those close to me think about my reasoning for buying this? Do they agree with me that this is a sound decision? And then more research.

When I feel like I have narrowed down my options, done my homework, and talked to people around me, that’s when I feel like I’m ready to kick the proverbial tires. In the example of a car, go take a look at it, maybe take it for a drive, even have a mechanic take a look at the vehicle for a more professional opinion. Once everything comes up ok, I make my decision and pray I did the right thing.

By most accounts, my reason and logic for making a decision seems well thought out. My steps seem clearly planned, there is plenty of room for those “red flags” both during research, and through the council of others that can always say “this is not a good idea”. What happens, however, when we take this approach in other areas of our life…like when things don’t exactly go our way?

Turns out I’m not the only one who hasn’t exactly gotten his way. The book for Job recants the story of a man name Job as his life is literally flipped upside down. The main reason the book is of interest though, is because of the dialogue between Job, his friends, and God. Backing up, in the beginning of Job, Job loses his servants, his land, his livestock, his camels, and all of his kids.  Job then is afflicted with painful sores covering his body. Towards the beginning of the story, Job sticks up for God, saying, “If we can accept the good from God, we have to be able to accept the bad”. As time passes, the book covers conversations had between Job and his three friends. In Job 10, Job begins to question God. “I will say to God: Do not condemn me, but tell me what charges you have against me.  Does it please you to oppress me, to spurn the work of your hands, while you smile on the schemes of the wicked?”

I can’t help but read that, and feel like I have been there. I haven’t lost everything I own, or had my entire family die, but we have all had those situations where we have to ask God why haven’t we? “God, why? Why did he/she die? Why this burden? Why this pain? Why don’t I feel like I am going to get through this? God I’m not sure I can make it.”

We come to that point of desperation, where we feel like things can’t possibly work out; we find ourselves at the end of ourselves. See, I DO apply the same methodology to my problems that I apply to my purchases.  I start off with those haunting questions that now turn inward, asking, “What’s this going to cost your life? How does this event impact YOUR plans? How could I have been prepared for this?” And just like with my purchase, I move straight into talking to people. “What’s your advice? Has this happened to you? Do you have any experience here? Any console for my situation?” We quickly find ourselves burdened by these seemingly overwhelming circumstances. Unable to make sense of it all; unable to answer the “why?” at the end of all reasoning.

In my pattern of decision making, notice I mentioned that I make the purchase, and “pray I did the right thing”. Seems to be how we approach problems too huh? When we can’t reason, when someone doesn’t have the quick answer, when the cancer has spread, when the child passes away, when the spouse is gone, we turn and ask “Why God?”

We don’t hear from God for a majority of the story in Job. In the beginning we hear about his dialogue with Satan, but after that God remains out of the picture until Chapter 38! When God answers, it’s interesting that He doesn’t directly reference Jobs troubles, or even the reason Job was suffering. Instead, he questions Job! Job 38:3 “Brace yourself like a man; I will questions you, and you shall answer me”. God proceed to pummel Job with questions that Job obviously has no answer for. “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?”, “Do you give the horse its strength or clothe his neck with a flowing mane?”, “Would you discredit my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself?”. But what was God getting at?

Though he didn’t answer to Job’s pains directly, I think his message to Job was clear. This isn’t about YOU. This is MY story and you are playing a part in it. I am in control. To quote Donald Miller, from his book A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, “[God speaks] as though to say, Enjoy your place in my story. The beauty of it means YOU matter, and you can create within it, as I have created you.” The story of God’s redemption, and of his love, means that as his followers, we have the honor to play a roll in that story. Will there be plot twists, and things we don’t see coming? Without a doubt, but God reminds us in Hebrews 13:5-6 “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”” God never promised us an untroubled life, but what he does give us is hope, and hope will not disappoint. Romans 5:3-5 “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”

I don’t know where this hits you today, for me, it reminds me that my decision-making process needs some fine tuning. My reliance on God can’t just be an afterthought once my decision has been made or a last ditch effort when problems arise. May I seek first the Kingdom of God for wisdom and discernment in any situation, and may the results of my problems and decisions be reflectant of God in my life. May God give you comfort where you are, and may you seek him in your time of need.

Airport Security pt 2 (Final)

If there is one thing I can say that I whole heartedly hate, it would have to be injustice. Does this make me a saint? Probably. I’ve just been always one to really hate when unfair things happened to people, whether I felt like the deserved it or not. We live in a society where there are clear rules that we live by, and when some people don’t play by those rules, they usually end up ruining things for others.

I recently took a flight from San Diego to San Jose for work. Not a big deal, I fly all the time for work, and have flown up here about 4 times already this year. After waiting in a 45 min security line in San Diego. As I got toward the front of the line, I noticed a young man who “snuck” in front of the couple in the other line. No big deal, he’s just above lines and rules, a lot of people seem to think they are special when it comes to travel, so I wasn’t exactly suprised. His goofy white winter hat and sandles made him an obvious sore thumb in the line, but I didn’t think much more of it.

Once I got to the front of the line, I went with the normal two bin formation, one for my laptop, and the other for my shoes, phone, watch, etc. I placed all my belongings on the roller bars which lead to the belt of the security xray machine as I have so many times before. As I begin to get out my boarding pass to show the TSA rep, she stops me while another “officer” comes over to run some sort of tests on the walk through metal detector. He takes about 2 minutes to successfully compete his tests and allow passengers to walk through, while still all the while the xray oprerator continues pushing peoples belongings through.

When do finally make it all the way through to the other side, I notice that my laptop is no longer in it’s bin, in fact it’s not there at all, it has been picked up by someone else. To make a long story short, it turned out to be the same guy with the sweet hat that cut everyone in line. After filling out a police report and having the police review the video, it turns out that the young man had come through security without a laptop, and had left security with mine. In what is supposed to be a “secure” checkpoint, my belongings find themselves at their most vulnerable point in the trip.

While I do blame the TSA for not stopping all processing while adjusting the metal detector, a large portion of the blame is not on the man who made the adjustment so much as the system. Why do are we still going through this system of taking out all of our personal effects to place them I’m open bins where try could easily be snagged by people before or after us in line? Sure that system worked great right after 9/11 when we were all on terror watch, but it has been some time since then, why have we not improved the system. Security still needs to be intact, but is there honesetly no better way to do this? Do we still need someone to sit there and scan bags while 8 other people just sit around and watch to do “more in depth” security screens? It’s a flawed system. At least set up some standards for scanning bags. If you have a standard laptop with not major modifications, shouldn’t those all look the exact same in the scanner? So why are we still taking them out of the bag? It’s a mess, and it honestly makes flying a headache. Oh well, I’ll put up with it until I own my own G4 I guess. (very unlikely)