I have always been against nuclear energy, even before I was Pagan. I felt that there was too much of a risk using such a dangerous substance to give us power. Yes, it is cleaner than petroleum, but look at the damage and devastation it causes when things go wrong. As a child, seeing pictures of Hiroshima and Nagasaki after the bombing changed my perception of the human race somewhat. I knew wars had been fought in the past; that humans have died in combat for thousands of years if not more. But seeing pictures of the devastation and ruination of two cities that didn't even have the chance to go into combat, to be able to protect themselves from this force, was horrifying. Nothing can stop the power of unleashed nuclear energy. It destroys everything in it's wake and even afterwards it damages the delicate tissues of life. As a 10 year old I knew that. I knew deep in my heart that nuclear energy usage was wrong.
We are humans, and there is always room for error. Not one of us is perfect all the time, and considering the amount of information that we still do not entirely have about the world, our bodies, the universe- is it right to harness something so powerful that a few bombs created with it here and there could destroy all life on earth? No. There is nothing right about it, and there never will be.
Looking at the last 4 days of chaos happening in Japan, my heart bleeds for the Japanese people. What happened over half a century ago in Hiroshima and Nagasaki was more than enough for Japan and the world. And now, again, there is a threat to human life because of radiation released into the atmosphere. The diligent and immensly brave workers that have been at the plants exposing themselves to radiation to save the rest of the population from harm have my full support and more than my respect. They have my complete admiration and love.
With absolutely no disprespect to these brave people, did we not learn from Chernobyl? From Three-Mile Island? Why are we still doing this to ourselves? These question we need to ask, but to whom do we ask them to?
I hope Japan can heal from this horrible disaster. The power of nature can be both beautiful and horrific at the same time, and this is sadly is one of the more horrific times.
As a Pagan, I see even more the need to get humanity away from nuclear power. Yes, nuclear energy comes from the earth; uranium deposits are found in many places, including my own hometown. But there are so many other powerful forces that are found naturally as well. Air power, Water power, what of these? It is so easy these days to make hydroelectric power, and wind turbines are becoming more and more popular as energy makers. We even have solar power available.
The world is interconnected now more than ever. We cannot prevent global problems as much as we could hundreds of years ago. Isolation, for most of the world's population, is a thing of the past. So we must find healthier alternatives together, 'for the good of all' as we Pagans and Witches tend to say. For the good of all, we must help Japan come back to normalcy. For the good of all, we must band together and find new ways of keeping this lifestyle we have created for ourselves going. For the good of all, we must love each other and learn to agree to disagree.
I will continue to pray as I have and do what I can to help with this disaster. Japan is in my heart, just like it has been for the last 12 years. I spent some time growing up there, you see, and it is a part of me that I cannot separate from. What I know of my soul was formed there in the new experiences I had living in Japan. Being in Japan made me what I am today, and I am grateful for those life-changing experiences. Which is why seeing the carnage there now gives me a feeling of despair and sorrow to the core of my being. So pray with me for the Japanese in this, the hardest of times.
To Japan and everyone else on the planet, blessed be.
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