Mother Nature Is Pissed

You ever get the sense that not all is right with the world when the number of natural disasters jumps off the page in a short timeframe? I'm not the type to set my watch by the metaphysical forces of the universe, but I do believe in the concept of karma. And when Mother Nature decides to get busy, I listen.

Think of the state of the world, and then tell me that there isn't something more to nature's violent reaction as of late. Compare the war in Iraq, continued strained international relations, terrorist activity and lingering corruption with disasters such as the tsunami in Asia Pacific, the Gulf Coast hurricanes, Latin America mudslides and the earthquake in the Middle East and India.

I don't see coincidence. I see Mother Nature, and she's pissed.

One of my favorite artists, Björk, once said that humans are pretty arrogant to think they could do anything to destroy Earth. Mother Nature need only shrug her shoulders to be rid of us all. How true.

To me, the recent activity suggests that our karmic balance is just a tad out of whack. Too much hate, too much war. Abuse of power, greed, fanatical rage, neglect and ignorance are breeding a black cloud that seems to choke much of what we see and hear. Sure, part of this has to do with living in a media-dominated era, but I don't doubt that Mother Nature is stirring for no other reason than to put things into perspective and spawn a much needed attitude adjustment across the population.

Personally, I see little value in the lives we lead in modern society. Everything revolves around competition, and life is simply a game we play as something to distract us between birth and death. Don't get me wrong ... competition is good, but more so as a diversionary tactic, not as a driving force. In a commercial society, it's damn maddening: Choice A vs. Choice B, and all the reasons why we rule and they suck.

We've fundamentally shifted the focus and the rules over the years to the point where very little reality actually exists. Can you imagine someone such as Einstein, Magellan, Ben Franklin or Da Vinci in today's society? I'm not talking about whether these folks would fit in or not; I'm asking if there's room for brilliant minds anymore. Can such a person even rise to prominence these days?

Remember, this is the quick fix world, in which we laud two guys who sleep under their desks while inventing one of the first guides to the world wide web. It's the fast-food, drive-thru phenomenon where two Stanford grads are freaking geniuses for turning that guide into a supercharged index. Yes, all great contributions, but not why we were given the gift of life.

I suppose I do little to demonstrate how life should really be spent. I'm as caught up in it as the rest, but that doesn't mean I don't see it for what it is. Perhaps it's time we had the balls to push the dregs aside, rather than putting them on a pedestal for praise. Easier said than done of course ... it's almost a violation of physics to suggest we could put on the brakes and reverse course without losing the lion's share of our purchase.

Then again, Mother Nature invented physics, and I'm sure she wouldn't hesitate to send us ass over tea kettle without blinking if she felt we were beyond saving.

You can count on me mamma ... I'm listening.