On December 14th, after watching several videos on youtube about the protests against the Dakota Pipline, I was very upset. Our government doesn’t seem to understand that you can’t just destroy the land around you and expect human civilization to survive in the long run. Environmental destruction is a slippery slope. It starts out little by little and then you destroy more and more until you have serious problems that creep up on you.
The immediate facts are that:
Native Americans protested the DAPL pipeline.
Native Americans claimed that all pipelines leak, and that it is just a matter of time.
Historical records show that pipelines leak frequently, but that major spills don’t necessarily happen often.
I saw people being abused by cruel police officers at protests with pepper spray, physical violence, arresting people who were not committing crimes, and other abuses.
So, I decided to say a prayer for ten minutes. I prayed that all of the native peoples of the Dakotas would be protected from evil of any sort — internal or external. The very next day there was a huge breakage in a different pipeline, also in North Dakota. That pipeline which was built in 1980 leaked 180,000 gallons into a small stream. Two days later, I saw that Native Americans were negotiating with the Army Corp of Engineers. They were actually being listened to in a positive way!
I don’t know if this major leak was a good thing that will raise consciousness or a bad thing. But, I believe that all pipelines must be taken down as they are too dangerous and destructive to the environment. I don’t know if my prayer caused things to happen or not, but what I saw was a dramatic change of events immediately after my prayer!
We need to end environmentally unsound practices otherwise this planet will not be safe for any of us to live in!