Worldwide consumption of water is doubling every 20 years. Aquifers are
already overexploited, creating serious shortages; the future looks even bleaker.
by Graemme Marshall
Terror is in the wind! Over the last couple of weeks, the media have been
bringing us the chilling news that there is "chatter in the air"
among various terrorist cells. Apparently, there is enough credible concern
that the public has been notified and extra security precautions have gone
into effect.
We now measure our days in color codes. At this writing America is at "Code
Orange." While the major nations of the Western world are putting on
their best faces and encouraging the public to go on with a business-as-usual
attitude, nonetheless the entire world is looking over its shoulder and, for
that matter, under every concealed box or suitcase.
Perhaps as you traveled by jet over this winter-break period you looked just
a bit more closely at the person seated next to you. And, turn about being
fair play, just maybe they were giving you "the once over" as well.
How sad that such a beautiful color as orange is now synonymous with terror.
I've always had a certain partiality for the color orange. I've
always thought of orange pumpkins as a hint of autumn harvest. I think of
orange as a charming earth color that adds to the decor of a Thanksgiving
table. Being from Southern California, I think of all the lush rural citrus
orchards dotted with speckles of orange. I remember how excited I was when
as a youngster in school I learned that orange was really a mix between the
two other colors of red and yellow. I thought I was really on to something
big!
Putting our butterflies into formation
But that was then, and now is now. Orange is no longer simply about autumnal
bounty or childhood memories. Orange is synonymous with vigilance toward potential
catastrophes perpetrated by terrorists. Since 9/11, the world has never been
the same. And maybe the same can be said for the color orange. But adversity
often allows our minds to come to a positive focus on "what really is
real" and where our life's energies should be directed. Adversity
can add up to personal growth as much as red and yellow add up to orange.
