SOMETIMES THERE'S JUST NOT ENOUGH ROCKS. Pts. 1-2

I admit it. I spend far too much time on social media.

The fourth and fifth words in the second sentence, above, remind me of a story related to Pope John Paul II.

It seems he traveled extensively in order to teach and encourage “the (Catholic) faithful” throughout the world. This was a man who still suffered the effects of his failed assassination attempt, as well as Parkinson’s disease. But he simply would not be denied. Of course, his aides often urged him to slow down, and admonished him that he was doing too much. Ultimately, the Pope tired of their words, and when he’d had just about enough, and his chief aide said, “Holy Father, you’re doing too much,” he responded with,

“Some things have to be done…too much.”

And as I have previously inferred, there are some advantages to spending too much time on social media. The best and most obvious is it has allowed me to meet family and friends whom I never would have had any possibility of meeting.

I mean, I have met 8^th and 9^th cousins; something which would not have been possible before the advent of the internet. And amazingly, I am rapidly approaching a total of a thousand Facebook friends, and have social contacts in such diverse countries as, England, France, Italy, Iran, Nigeria, Russia and Australia.

Speaking of Australia, I was involved in an instant messaging chat with my friend, Laine today, and she asked whether the American people were, by in large, aware of the Marshall Islands Nuclear Waste Dome. I responded with,

“Well, people of my generation know about the large number of nuclear weapons which were tested on and about certain islands in the Pacific Ocean. I’m a bit doubtful that younger Americans were taught about it, or at least they are so taken up with staring into smart phones and tablets that they are oblivious of anything of any consequence.”

Pt. 2

But to return to where I began.

The Marshall Islands Nuclear Waste Dome is a broad expanse of concrete which has been constructed over an expanse of highly radioactive land on Enewetak Atoll in the Pacific; the result of multiplied American nuclear tests. In recent years the superstructure of the dome is crumbling, and waste materials are beginning to leak into the environment. The U.S. government disclaims any financial responsibility for the matter, and the government of that little island nation is beyond doing anything substantial about it. Of course, the citizens of the region are at severe risk.

Laine went on to ask me what in the world conscientious people are to do about such environmental travesties, as governments pretty well do what they jolly well decide to do, “and damn the consequences.”

I responded with a concept one of my former pastors once shared in a sermon, and this is that people learn difficult lessons in three progressively consequential ways:

1.    Information

2.    Crises

3.    Catastrophes

And sadly, in too many instances, and with too many of us, we only learn as the result of a catastrophe; (if we ever learn anything at all).

At any rate, Laine and I continued to interact on the topic, and we generally admitted our rather finite, singular abilities to change the world, as we know it.

However, I did share a consideration which I gleaned from a scene from the movie, “Forrest Gump.”

In the one scene Jenny can be seen throwing rocks at the old house in which she has been, well, you know.

After she tosses a few rocks at the house, she manages to break out a couple of windows. Having spent her energies, she slumps to the ground; frustrated and fatigued.

As Jenny lies in the mud of that old Alabama farmyard, Forrest reminds us,

“Sometimes I guess there’s just not enough rocks!”

With this, I shared a correlation between Forrest’ conjecture, and our discussion with my friend.

“I think sometimes there’s just not enough answers;”

…(but I, for one, intend to break out a few windows along the way).


by William McDonald, PhD. Excerpt from "McDonald's Daily Diary." Vol. 72. Copyright pending.

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