Tuesday
Community Articles, Opinion PiecesHow is the oil spill affecting you?
By Bill Scheffel, writing from New Orleans.
Three of my walks in New Orleans took me into the Ninth Ward and the Lower Ninth Ward, the primary neighborhoods that delivered pictures to the world of people left behind, stranded on their roofs in the floods when water driven by hurricane Katrina breached the levees. In the handful of off-the-cuff video interviews I conducted on my walks, my inquiries began with questions such as “How is the oil spill affecting you?” or about water in general, but increasingly I found myself simply wanting to ask people, “What do you want?”
I asked all of these questions of Faith and Perry, two young people I encountered, along with their dog Grimace, on the porch of their house in the Ninth Ward – as seen in this 5-minute video documentary. Click below to watch, and then answer Bill’s questions in the comments section below.
That said, how is the spill affecting Shambhalians ~ near or far? Do give us a piece of your mind below. What do you want?
Jun 18, 2010
Reply
Hello,
The BP oil spill in the Gulf is the greatest tragedy that I have ever experienced in my life so far. Every morning while sitting, great compassion comes up for the preciousness of human birth, karma, impermanence, and samsara of this disaster in our back yard. Everyone in southwest & southeast Louisiana is directly affected; this is what is on everyones mind and in every conversation. The photos of the oil soaked pelicans barely breathing is the just the tip of the iceberg.
Of course we all know how interdependent we all are as sentient beings, but how interdependent are we as far as cause and effect? Of course we all drive cars, but what powers the cars and why is it called “black gold”? Greed. The oil companies have raped Louisiana since the early 1920s and continue to do so. (if you’re interested rent “Louisiana Story” by Robert Flahtery, 1949 paid for by Esso for a historical view).
When they have to close the Mississippi River for shipping everyone US citizen will wake up, albeit too late.
There will be no happy ending to this scenerio and our lives have and will continue to be affected.
There is an organization called Gulf Aid which I support and recommend amongst many others.
The nagras are indeed awake but in danger of extension in the Gulf of Mexico.
Please continue to send your prayers to the living nature of of all things, people on the coasts, and big oil stock holders to have compassionate understanding of the damage that is now a part of this moment.
Michael Doucet
Acadiana Shambhala Meditaion Group, Lafyette, Louisiana