So I'm sitting here with my legs itching all day. I got poison ivy while looking for a disc in a patch of vines and trees after a terrible throw on the hardest hole on our hardest local disc golf course here in KC. This is only my second major infection with poison ivy, so I'm not as psychologically annoyed or worried about it as my first one in March (also due to disc golf). I read somewhere that global warming is causing the poison ivy to be really bad this year, but I also heard that on MSNBC... The average article there reads something to the effect of "Bush Rejects Global Warming Caused By Bush".
In the news lately, global warming is taking the blame for all sorts of things: melting ice caps, rising seas, flooding, disease, hurricanes, and now poison ivy. Global warming is something that I thought was made up by scientists trying to get more money from the government. But with each new report supported by more leading experts, the data seems to suggest otherwise. I wonder now about how much of these trends are a natural occurrence that's cyclical and how much is caused by man. My guess is somewhat of both, but I have a theory. (DISCLAIMER: my theories are thought experiments in my head. I may or may not believe them fully, but I don't necessarily hold on to them as definite, as I'm somewhat willing to be proven wrong. Some of you are laughing hysterically.)
Since most of you reading this blog believe that God made the universe, created the laws and balance within it, and even foretold of a time of complete disorder and chaos near the end of the existence due to man's sins, why would He not make the cause of our own destruction our sins? So when we act selfishly and stupidly, things get out of balance in the world. The more we screw up, the more things get worse. So every selfish act is counter-balanced not only by some quick or eventual punishment to ourselves, but to others, to other creatures, plants, trees, soil, and finally the sky, oceans and weather. This makes sense as we become more industrialized so we can be less dependent on the soil, animals and weather for our needs. We make artificial versions of everything natural so they are less biodegradable. We put the waste from making these products in the air and water or bury it. God's design in nature makes everything break down nicely, yet another incredible feature of His work. Ours just slowly destroys everything. Wow, 10 years ago, I would have called myself a tree-hugger for writing this.
The cyclical side could be just as interesting... Scientists note all sorts of cycles, including cycles for El Niño, 11-year cycles of solar activity, 17- and 13-year cicada and locust spawnings, the Atlantic Heat Conveyer (see the movie Day After Tomorrow), ice ages, etc. They have statistical data supporting average time frames between volcanic eruptions, meteor strikes, earthquakes, tsunamis and on and on. Wouldn't it be interesting if a lot of these cycles, some every few years, some every few centuries or millennia, all managed to converge in, say, a time period of less than 3-10 years?
This would be a very natural means to explain a very dramatic turn of events in the near future. Worldly thinkers would still try to blame nature and avoid any need to obey some god. Some will know better and turn to the Creator.
All of this from a poison ivy allergy...
Stupid itching.
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