Natural causes

[triadruid]

So it seems we weathered the 'ice storm of the decade year current time period' okay: no power outages and a fabulous amount of home cooking done (mostly by my other thirds, I'm just a sous chef). I had yesterday off from work (well, from 3pm Tuesday, really) and managed to learn a lot about my computer problems and even relax some. And, oatmeal butterscotch cookies; need I say more?? *contented sigh*

We moved two out of the three cars from under the 80-year-old poplar tree (although some of us still slept under it - oops?) but nothing fell besides some minor branchlets (nothing like diermuid's dodge!)...it's in good condition, but as it sits right over our master bedroom, I'm fairly certain of how I'll die in 50 or 60 years. Took me about two hours to warm up/defrost/deice my car last night once the porecipitation stopped, but it was worth it to not have to do it this morning... and neither kittenpants or featherynscale have to drive today, thanks to the intrepidness of saffronhare. Goooo Minivan Galactica!

In other news, I'm really of mixed mind about the effects of the "wall of water" that hit the Indian Ocean 10 days or so ago... probably because of all the different information sources I have. American news focuses on the hundreds of deaths of Western tourists, Google news runs up the death toll like a pedometer as news organizations try to gain the 'upper hand' so to speak, libertarians debate the economic impacts and 'benefits' of an influx of foreign aid to the region, the Bush Administration *seems* to tell everybody to go fly a kite, charity will handle it... and charities are stepping up in staggering proportions. But really...

I don't expect anyone to agree with me on this, particularly, except maybe rougewench because she already posted her thoughts on it.

But really, on the grand/global scheme of things, even a disaster like the tsunami wave is a drop in the ocean (to borrow the phrase). We have over-run the planet to the point that the staggering death toll of 155,000 immediate dead, and perhaps that number again dead from disease in the near future, was made up in 24 hours time by the world birth rate. That's right: before the death toll was even counted, the world had already replaced all of those lives snuffed out. On an average day, the world loses something like 153,000 lives and creates about 369,000 more. So from a certain point of view, it's like having an extra "leap year" day in the mortality table; it's tragic and horrible to experience and go through for those who were there, but on the global scale, we continue to propagate as a species to a quite comfortable degree. America lost 292,000 lives, roughly, in conflict during 4 years of WWII and gained that back in about 5 months from the increase in the birth date (not the total births, just the increase of the 1946 rate compared to 1941).

I'm not trying to be insensitive, but just realistic. Life goes on; and then it doesn't. New life comes in to take its place. I've made the conscious choice that I probably won't be breeding in this lifetime; no one will "carry on" my genetic legacy. And really, I'm okay with that. It's not a particularly outstanding variant, there's plenty of other genetic relatives that *are* continuing my breeding line, as it were, and I get to help raise and nurture my friends' children in such a way that I am pleased to be able to be proud of knowing them.

Really. It'll be okay.

Comments

[agrnmn.livejournal.com]

I think one of the typical resposes by those surviving horrible disasters is "Whew! We're alive! Let's celebrate! Wanna F^*&?"

[kittenpants.livejournal.com]

What I think's really awful is that not only can I not conceptualize the death toll well enough to get upset by it, but that I'm more lastingly impressed by the geologic numbers. [link] [link]

[hekatatia.livejournal.com]

I keep waiting (hoping?) for the predicted massive population drop in those countries with the most overpopulation that have been selectively removing females by one process or another because males are more valued. Yet it hasn't happened...

[rougewench.livejournal.com]

You're right. I agree with you. The mother has ways of dealing with population control and none of them are pleasant to behold.


D.

[diermuid.livejournal.com]

Offended? That hardly felt offensive at all.

FOr some reason, the population boom seems a bit tamer than projections, although it may be the world population rate that booms, American mortality seems to keep us at a slower increase. Along with all fossile fuels being totally exhausted by 2000, I also recall that the mojave desert would be as populated as Virginia and that the Artic would have cities by now. To some extent, the rapid population of America does tend to reflect overbreeding, but it wasn't that the Cherokees never had kids... simply that infant mortality kept growth in check. Now that most of the babies are staying alive to make more babies, I think that the expansion rate is quite possibly exponential. But this is why we have plagues. (or AIDS, or SARS)

This certainly does not counter the point you made, because we still see cites expanding like foam from a dropped beer bottle. I saw the tsunami as 'natures way'. This does not make me insensitive to the human suffering, merely accepting of such disasters.

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

Actually, what I'm dreading is the day she decides to make a "course correction" that involves wiping our more than a few days work.

Avian Flu, anyone?? *shudder*

[druidevo.livejournal.com]

It takes about two generations and so far we're just half way there... I thinks it wil be some war with India

[naiadea.livejournal.com]

I think it was on my yahoo news, but there WAS an article floating around which DID point out that the death toll, while seemingly huge, makes almost no demographic difference since the areas affected were relatively sparsely populated... I think what annoys me most are all the "oh, look, this celebrity is just fine! don't worry, folks!" articles. But when it comes to the death toll, i don't feel much sympathy there, either. It's a totally normal, natural event, not the end of the world.
Join me in song:
o/~ It's the circle of liiiiiiiiife... o/~ *holds up dooj*

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

Nah, I understand the why of the replacement mechanism...I've practiced it a fair number of times, after all. It's the outrage over 0.23% of the population dying on a day when it is normal for 0.25% of the population to die and something like twice that to be born, that boggles me.

36 meters?

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

I repeat what someone else said: [Deity!]