She is Pissed ...

Soooo, I'm pretty sure we're all doing something wrong. The world is pissed. Like, the literal world - the earth and dirt and sea and sand. She is pissed big time. And that might just be an understatement.

(Side bar: I'm calling the earth a "she" here because it makes it easier to get my point across. I can say things like, "Planet earth is a bitch," and "Planet earth is clearly PMSy," a lot easier if the reader has it in their mind that the earth is a she. Referring to the menstrual cycle of a "he" earth would be a little too much for me to ask of a reader to accept.)

I believe I first knew something was up when Haiti got completely ravaged by an earthquake that killed over 100,000 people. There's a part of me that just does not believe these things happen for no reason. Weathermen and women of the world can tell you that certain things happen in the atmosphere, blah-blah-blah, and that's why earthquakes and hurricanes and blizzards, etc., happen. I suppose I can buy into that with one natural disaster, but not with so many happening so close together.

So now we've got the earthquake in Chile, the tsunami that hit there, and its subsequent 32 aftershocks (at last count). Been watching the news and they're still trying to figure out how bad it is down there - I would wager a guess that it's not as bad as Haiti, but still really bad. And on top of that, we've got tsunami warnings a-plenty out for places like Japan, Russia, and Hawaii.

The deal was sealed for me on this whole, "We must be doing something wrong" bit, when I heard there was a tsunami threat for Russia.

Tsunami. Russia.

Let that sink in for a minute. Does that completely wrinkle your brain? If it doesn't, then it should. Or you're a geologist who can understand all the science behind how that's possible. Maybe I have tsunami racism or something and think that those things can only really happen in nice, warm, pleasant places with palm trees and the like, not in a land so cold and doused with vodka. But I think that the possibility of a tsunami reaching the shores of Russia is clearly indicative of the human race, as a whole, just plain doing something wrong.

Maybe we litter too much. Maybe we just aren't being nice enough to each other. Maybe the earth is paying us back for the invention of the SUV and her punishment goes out with props to the soccer moms of the world who gallantly cart 2 children to and from practice each day in a car that can accommodate up to 8.

I'd like to believe the weather people and buy in to the information they're providing. Watching the news this morning and their coverage in particular of the ring of fire, how the plates work, etc, is very reminiscent of 7th grade science and it's pretty cool to see how we can now forecast, to the hour, when a big wave is going to hit Hawaii.

(Side bar: If you're in Hawaii and you are a surfer, do NOT take the tsunami sirens as an open invitation to grab your board and hit the beach. I say this in all seriousness while at the same time realizing that that is exactly what some people are going to do ...)

But if my gut is right, and all of this natural disaster nonsense that's been going on recently is a sign that the earth is pissed, then I urge everyone to stop and think about what they're doing before they do it. If you see someone fall down, help them up ... don't just walk by like you can't see.

Think about it.

- The Incident