Dear Editor,
The earth has a natural balance and has existed for millions of years. Hurricanes, tornadoes, forest fires, erosion, plate tectonics and many other factors contribute to this balance routinely, and these interactions are necessary and unavoidable.
With our cities and technology - and even more so through our popular culture and daily life - people in the western world have insulated themselves from realizing just how precarious life on Earth can be. For people who only see disasters like Hurricane Katrina and the recent tsunami on television, natural crises seem almost abstract.
People often adopt the arrogant view of "it could never happen here," and they observe tragedies with a sense of detachment.
Much of our culture is geared to the mistaken notion that we are somehow more powerful than nature; yet those from other cultures, particularly those of the past, would wholly disagree.
Land, sea, and sky are polluted; the greenhouse effect is real, and though the Earth is resilient, we do, in fact, have limited resources and limited healing power.
Many decisions might be expedient economically, but they could pose a far greater threat to our survival. There are plenty of situations man has created - such as factory runoff, dams and others - that have potentially disastrous natural effects. We cannot escape the inevitable natural disaster, but we can make predictions and develop contingency plans.
We often take a narrow western view that sometimes ignores the vital role of Earth. Although some things we can't help, there are other situations we certainly can.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
