Saturday, May 8, 2010

Underwater Wellheads, Depleted Uranium, All of that Stuff

I can't remember where first I saw it. It must have been when I was a boy. A medicine cabinet with a mirrored door and behind the door a small slot an inch and a half or so wide. When I found out what it was for I was astonished, it left my mind unsettled. Of course the slot was the disposal chute for used razor blades, and I realized that it was probably the best way to get rid of them, but it bothered me. To think that in your home, while you slept, there lay behind the plaster, between the studs, a rusting pile of sharp danger.

We do good things as people and as societies. We plant flowers and grow food, we build schools and paint lovely pictures, but we also leave hazard in hidden places.

5 comments:

georgia b. said...

your picture is perfect for this message.

sad to think what we do as a species, that no other species does. i've been watching the show mad men lately, and it has been very eye opening as to how far we've come, though. for instance, in one episode, a well-off, well-to-do family goes on a picnic, and when they pack up and leave, they leave behind all their trash right in the middle of the grass at the park. they had not even the slightest qualm about it. it's funny, because when i first saw it, i thought, "what??? they would not have done that!" but then i remembered that the "give a hoot, don't pollute" campaign was big in the seventies, when i was just a child. this show takes place in the 60s, so this pollution awareness was not quite around yet. i know that's just one small aspect, but it does prove a point about how far we have come. there are still those that are careless and would do something like that. and there are still those who don't recycle. but imagine if none of us did, what a terrible mess we'd be in. i'm hopeful that society is learning and getting better at this. if i ever do have children, i don't want them to grow up in a place that is irreparable and ugly.

i like your razor blade analogy. you are good at getting your message across with those kinds of things. i have to say, though, i never saw one of those slits anywhere. must have been before my time.

Jeanne Frances Klaver said...

Wow. I never heard of such a thing! The slot goes into a space between the walls...ugh! Those branches look treacherous, but I love the photo!

georgia b. said...

i think i missed your birthday.

happy belated birthday.

Peter Tschirhart said...

You did miss my birthday, but its not like missing a train. With one quick message you've caught up and put a smile on my face. Thank you, G.

georgia b. said...

: )