I have tried not to pay too much attention to the BP oil crisis, it overwhelms me. I have seen pictures and the occasional news report but I don't stay and linger long. It makes me kinda queasy... All I can do is keep coming back to the same question, "How can something like this happen?". In this day and age, when we have technology that allows us to watch a movie on our phone, when I can educate myself at the push of a button and within seconds have access to multiple resources, or when we can view our babies in 3 dimensions and have an operation while still in the womb, how can something like this happen? As I know you know, this list could go on and on. Technology is amazing...however it is still invented, manufactured, and sold for our convenience and for a profit. Large sums of money are not spent on 'just in case' or 'if all else should fail'. I do understand the bottom line. But what about doing it, just because it's the right thing to do? Even if it's costly?
In BP's case, before things were ever built, a solution and several backup plans should have already been in place, right? Maybe they had some, and they just backfired? I don't know... I'm sure there are things that I can't understand. But it seems like such a lack of foresight and possible integrity are involved. Are there not intelligent individuals that could have foreseen such a tragedy?
Not that long ago I watched a documentary on the Apollo flight to the moon, and was amazed and impressed at the amount of thinking, planning, integrity, and ingenuity that went into the preparation and the flight itself - which is ultimately what saved the astronauts lives. In the case of the BP spill, who was the person, or persons, that new this could be a potential problem, but either said nothing, or brushed it under the rug? Was the expense of the back up plans too much? And if so, did anyone stand up and say, "Well then, maybe we should not proceed???" Eleven human lives were lost, along with wildlife and livelihoods - life... gone. Just like that.
I am not usually one to get all wrapped up in preventative plans, or blaming people for unforeseen consequences. I sincerely believe that this way of thinking can create a crippling attitude of fear. However, it seems that even my small brain knows that water and oil don't mix... I'd like to think that I would have suggested, "We should not proceed..." Possibly I am thinking too highly of myself.
I am trying to have grace for the BP CEO and leadership. It seems I can be merciful and forgiving to a gossip, an addict, a prostitute, murderer, adulterer, lier, and cheat even if these things were done to me (in due time) ...but, for some reason when it involves a corporation or systemic wrongdoing - I truly struggle with extending any type of forgiveness. I understand, know first-hand how broken we all are. Yet for some reason when it, or 'we', become a company, a regime, a kingdom - I find this type of brokenness - greed, pride, and silence much more difficult to forgive. Maybe it's because a system looses it's 'face' and it's just too overwhelming; the intimacy of dealing with an individual is lost, because too many are involved? Maybe it's just the idea of misused power that affects me so, and it just messes with my sense of balance - of which I have a very high value. But of course grace isn't offered to equal the offense...at least not as Jesus gives it. It surpasses it. Grace does not equal balance. Does anyone else struggle in this way?
At this point, I think I have gotten to a place where I do not wish ill will towards BP and it's leadership. I don't wish for anyone to boycott, at least not yet. Essentially that hurts people not responsible for this and would potentially re-vicimtize the people that BP has already hurt. All I know for now is that I do hope that once the deluge of oil has been halted; that the truth will be revealed, appropriate accountability and consequences will be dealt, and fair restitution is given... and on an intimate level we will all see our own brokenness amidst this mess, be humbled, and learn something from it.
2 comments:
The BP disaster has me so depressed. I can't stand to look at the images of oil-coated birds. If I think about it too long I feel a great, horrible sob welling up inside. I know what you mean about the difficulty of forgiving a power-structure like a corporation...but I don't think we are asked to do that. We need to forgive the division chief who was getting pressure from upstairs on a project that was running behind schedule, so he crossed his fingers, hoped nothing would go wrong, and signed off on something that should have been subjected to further review. Then he went home to kids who were already in bed, his shaky marriage and a TV dinner in his $900,000 house. Know what I mean?
Ha, yes, I do. Thanks for putting a face to it. (;
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