Just Don't Think About It

I'm depressed for the planet today. Sometimes, in spite of my Mother's axiom, "just don't think about it," I have to think about it. And, I guess, today is the day. In the past week I've read stories in the news about the following planetary catastrophes:

1. A new report on the demise of the world's bee population says that the bee population in Britain may be wiped out within 10 years.

2. The Chinook Salmon have completely vanished from the Sacramento River.

3. There are two floating 'continents' of floating garbage in the Pacific Ocean. One area, containing millions of tons of garbage, is twice the size of the state of Texas. Massive amounts, too large to clean up, they say, of human-made junk polluting the seas, the fish, and us, ultimately.

4. The 25 most polluted cities in the world have been determined and categorized based mainly on the amount of raw sewage and toxic industrial waste being discharged unceasingly upon the teaming masses of people living in misery, suffering endlessly.

These are just some of the things I've encountered in the last few days. What are we going to do about it, fellow humans? Just not think about it?

I saw a man today while riding on the bus. He was a young man, but terribly handicapped, mentally and physically. He was walking, aided by another older man, presumably his father and they were headed toward St. Peter's Basilica, the Vatican. The young man was all dressed up and had an expression of absolute joy on his smiling face.

His joy was blinding.

Here was a human being, given the short end of the stick, a lifetime of dependency and suffering, yet he manifested absolute joy.

There I was, sitting comfortably, healthy, with money in my pocket, exuding misery, manifesting gloom.

I'm writing this story in honor of that young man. In spite of his disabilities, he touched me. He grabbed my stupid brain, flipped it around and put it back in my head sunny side up. His impact was brutal, sudden and strong. I honor that and thank him for the gift.

It's like this. Maybe when it comes to world issues I'm as helpless as that young man. Maybe I have to lean on others. Maybe I can't solve all the problems by myself. But, I can still comb my hair, put a gigantic smile on my face, be happy to be alive, and maybe, just maybe, help another person as I stumble along my path. Like a lama, touching others on the head with my peacock feather.

I want to remain informed and alert, but I don't want to wallow, like a Cerberus, guarding the gates of hell. However, I will NOT watch television (except Columbo in Italian every Sunday night at 7:30). The Virgin Mary told the children in a small village in Bosnia-Hercegovina named Medjugorje the following on February 13, 1986:

"Turn off the television and renounce various things that are of no value."

She actually said that, the Virgin Mary. She actually addressed the television issue!

Some people...a lot of people, in fact...will scoff at that one! I actually should because I'm not catholic, but I really like it and abide by it, except in the aforementioned way.

So, where was I. Oh yeah, remaining alert...watching for an opportunity to do some good in the world. Maybe that's what the Big Giant was that I waited for all those years on the curb, an opportunity to do good.

No, it wasn't. The Big Giant was not good.

Oh well. The search continues.