Karma

There's a common saying, "What goes around, comes around" that often springs to my mind. We tend to think of the things we do as discrete activities, unconnected to anything else. However, all things are connected, so the things we do invariably impact something else.

We aren't taught to think of the world as a system, which allows poor decisions.

Everything is connected.

This fact was again brought to mind this past week when I was in a group of about 30 people and at the end of the meeting, several people asked for prayers for members of their families and friends. What sticks with me were the children: a 15-year-old with Hodgkin's lymphoma, a 15-day-old with kidney failure, and a 2-year-old with leukemia. These were just in this one group of 30 people. Although it is possible all of these could take place statistically in such a small circle of friends, it seems statistically significant to me.

Is it possible that the choices we have made to poison those things that don't fit our idea of perfection (weeds) or that cause us discomfort (bugs) are coming back to haunt us? A person I know on Facebook posted that she was upset she lost several koi in her pond after she dosed it with algacide. We do these things all the time, without thinking that the poisons we use have to go somewhere. They don't always just break down into harmless substances, and if they do, it isn't always right away. We overdose ourselves with antibiotics. Chemicals that affect our hormones are everywhere.

Can I prove these chemicals have anything to do with the health problems of these children? No, I can't. But someone should be looking into it.

By the way, Living Green in Wichita Falls is now on Facebook, so if you are a Facebooker, consider joining the conversation at https://www.facebook.com/livegreenwf.

Impact of Environmental Chemicals in Reproduction

A group I am in was touring a local business recently when we came across some items stored in a box with the notation "pthalate free." We all wondered why that was important, and I did a little research for the group. It turns out phtalates are suspected of affecting the endocrine system in people, with a variety of possible impacts, especially among children. Here's a link to a story by CBS News on this chemical. I came across another article that should inspire people to make some effort to reduce their exposure to environmental pollutants. In a recent article by USA Today, environmental chemicals are cited as one of the possible reasons for early onset puberty in girls. Can you imagine going through puberty as early as 7? It was bad enough at 12/13, which was when I started that transformation (my daughter was 9 and I sure wasn't ready then either!) Guess this is one way to approach population control.