“Evolve or Die: It’s Crunch Time for the Willamette River”

This was a headline in Sunday’s Oregonian Opinion section (11.29.09). The article that followed is about the Willamette River and “rescuing our freshwater future—if we pull together soon.” The article itself is quite matter-of-fact and there is nothing to suggest that the author is talking about consciousness or evolution—except for the headline. And I take this as a Good Sign. A Good Sign because I interpret it to mean that the whole concept of expanding our awareness, of awakening, of shifting the ways that we think and act toward sustainability, inclusiveness, and heartfelt connectivity has become mainstream. A Good Sign because it suggests that we are seeing the connection between cause and events.

Perhaps I am reading too much into this headline, but if so, I still choose to imagine that the days of needing to prove, or convince, or persuade, the masses that we have critical choices to make, are winding down. We are moving into creative solutions, and this particular article was outlining what those are for this situation: the steps being taken and a roadmap for the future for healthier rivers.

I also heartily endorse “telling it like it is.” No apologies, no elaborate explanations, just a straight arrow of truth: evolve or die. I recently read something spoken by native elder Chief Oren Lyons on the relationship between humans and nature, and water in particular:

“We are all a part of nature, and nature is part of us. If we don’t realize that, then we’re not fully awake. If we do realize that, we can’t harm nature. We need nature. Human beings seem to think it’s not a problem to pollute water. If you think it is okay to pollute water, just try going without water for a few days. A few days will teach you how important water really is. In a few days without good, clean drinking water, you will begin to get sick and then you will begin to die. Within one week you will be dead. Once you understand that, you won’t pollute your water. Don’t you see?”

Another straight arrow: no fresh drinking water, we die within a week. No grey areas there.

Coincidentally, just three days ago, large communities west of the Willamette received a “Boil Water” warning. Apparently one of our reservoirs was contaminated with ecoli. Kudos to the Water Bureau to notice it early on and to treat it within thirty-six hours. Still, for that brief time I got a teeny taste of what Chief Lyons is talking about. Boiling water was a minor inconvenience—but one that I was glad to do. I felt extraordinarily grateful that we had gas and electricity and all the other amenities so that we could boil water and carry on our lives as normal. But what if something more devastating had occurred and we had no way to boil our water—or if boiling wouldn’t purify the water? No drinking water, no bathing, no teeth brushing, no clothes washing, no dish washing, no morning tea or coffee, no cooking that involved water…imagining this harsh reality you begin to understand how crucial it is that we each awaken to the unparalleled task of evolving our consciousness.

The Willamette River and our minor brush with contaminated water are but drops in an ocean of self-destructive, self-centered, and isolating thinking that has brought humanity to a global crisis point environmentally, socially, and spiritually. We will survive only when enough people begin to realize that everything we think and do has an effect on the health and well being of everyone on earth—and on the earth itself. But personally, I think that the Oregonian article author, Joe Whitworth, says it best: “Evolve or Die.” You can fill in the blanks. We all can.