#178 / The Whisper And Scurry Of Small Lives

 

 

That's beautiful, isn't it? The picture, I mean. Perhaps you might think that it would be even better without the aircraft carrier, which is on its way to the Port of Guam. That would definitely be my own preference! Photo editing software could probably take that aircraft carrier out in a jiffy and improve the photograph. But how about taking it out in real life? That would definitely be my own preference!

The picture above comes from a recent article in Boston Review, "No Country For Eight-Spot Butterflies." Julian Aguon, who wrote the article, is "a human rights lawyer working at the intersection of international indigenous rights and environmental law. A native son of Guam, Julian founded his own law firm to advocate for the myriad peoples of the Pacific region. Julian lectures at the University of Guam and the William S. Richardson School of Law (located in Hawaii), where he teaches International Law and Pacific Island Legal Systems." 

 

I highly recommend Aguon's article in Boston Review, which alerts its readers to the following: 

The U.S. Department of Defense is ramping up the militarization of my homeland—part of its $8 billion scheme to relocate roughly 5,000 Marines from Okinawa to Guam. In fact, ground has already been broken along the island’s beautiful northern coastline for a massive firing range complex. The complex—consisting of five live-fire training ranges and support facilities—is being built dangerously close to the island’s primary source of drinking water, the Northern Guam Lens Aquifer. Moreover, the complex is situated over several historically and culturally significant sites, including the remnants of ancient villages several thousands of years old, where our ancestors’ remains remain.

As Aguon says, "if only superpowers were concerned with the stuff of lower-case earth—like forests and fresh water. If only they were curious about the whisper and scurry of small lives. If only they were moved by beauty."

 

Taking that aircraft carrier out of the picture - by taking it out of the picture in real life - would be a big deal! Demilitarizing the United States' economy and society would be a big deal, too. If, however, we care about the fate of the world - the Natural World, with its whisper and scurry of small lives, and our human world, as well, because our human world does depend on the World of Nature - we are going to have to find the courage to start deleting the aircraft carrier pictured, and all our apparatus of war and destruction.

 

One more big item on the "To Do" list!

 

Image Credit:

https://bostonreview.net/science-nature-global-justice/julian-aguon-no-country-eight-spot-butterflies