The death of a canary and it's metaphor should always alert us that something terrible is happening, whether it's financial disaster, health, social, or political. Miners were the beneficiaries (thanks to the experiments of John Haldane) of how important canaries were to workers...because when the canary died, the death of humans weren't far behind.
An interesting fact about birds, is that they get fresh air when they inhale and when they exhale - a double dose for our single one. This makes birds great at taking in oxygen, but extraordinarily sensitive to poisons in the air. A canary can take in the poison twice with every breath.
The canaries of our day? The slaughter of innocent people in war torn countries, currency manipulation (Fed bailout, debt/deficit, and etc), ideological chasms (Liberal vs conservative), and changing social morays.
Living in Oregon, I grew up with my dad always having a big fire to burn excess yard leaves, sticks, and so on. But when I was staying at my mother-in-laws farm in Ohio, conditions were somewhat different. It was summer and I wanted to burn a few items. I ensured the area was heavily watered down and had my hose ready if anything got out-of-hand. It wasn't long before I had a good fire burning, but the wind had picked up and the fire jumped my perimeter. Rather than put out the fire, I tried desperately to get control of it (and the new little fires) with one hose. It was too late. Lucky for me, the fire department's truck was nearby. So within minutes of our 911 emergency call, the firemen were at our farm. When they arrived, the fire had spread across the brittle grass, up trees, and toward the forest. Fortunately, with their equipment, they overcame the fire within no time. My first canary was when the wind picked up. At that time I should have put out the fire instead of just managing it. My second canary was when the flames jumped and spread. If we hadn't called in the big guns in time, the third canary would have been to flee with our lives.
I don't want to address all the canaries of mankind, but I would like to focus on an obvious big one...a world-wide problem - ISIS. From the beginning and for years now, I have harped to all who would listen that ISIS was an evil entity and should be eliminated. I'm sure there were others out there that were calling attention to the problem too; but in any case, there was a surprising silence. In fact, during the first year of the ISIS expansion I even received condescending viewpoints. Was the subject too shocking? Was it that we have difficult lives of our own and can't think about those across an ocean? Or are our lives here in the states are so comfortable it's easy to ignore things in the hinterland? Maybe our disbelief of an unusual event put us into a fit of paralysis. But regardless the reasons, the only response should have been a quick one...put out the fire.
But that is not what has happened to ISIS. It was left alone for too long before a response was made and now look at the expanded version of them. And here we are: Having to let go of the executed and displaced Christians that would have had a pleasant Christmas; having to pass by the thousand of innocent dead that were murdered for convenience; having to watch helplessly as the newly conquered populations adhere to new strict rules - such as forced marriages, female genital mutilation, fanatical Sharia law, strong-arm taxing and theft, and so on.
But that is not what has happened to ISIS. It was left alone for too long before a response was made and now look at the expanded version of them. And here we are: Having to let go of the executed and displaced Christians that would have had a pleasant Christmas; having to pass by the thousand of innocent dead that were murdered for convenience; having to watch helplessly as the newly conquered populations adhere to new strict rules - such as forced marriages, female genital mutilation, fanatical Sharia law, strong-arm taxing and theft, and so on.
Now the ISIS fire is so big and so wide, it has spread into Afghanistan and east, Libya and south, and even to the north up to Ukraine. It is easy for politicians to spout out tough resolutions to stop the ISIS cancer, but at this point it is almost the same as those that tried to stop the ancient plague infested ships from coming to shore, thinking the disease was on the people...all the while, flee infested rats walked on by.
Some have said that it's the Middle East, let them fight their own fight. Well how has that worked out? At this point, it's spread like a cancer throughout the region, and America (and other countries) continue to send millions of dollars of military might and men into the area with little effect.
Some have said that it's the Middle East, let them fight their own fight. Well how has that worked out? At this point, it's spread like a cancer throughout the region, and America (and other countries) continue to send millions of dollars of military might and men into the area with little effect.
Years have passed and hindsight has shown us the devastation in the world, created by ISIS unchecked. They are evil and propagate evil. It is a perfect example of why it is vital we listen to our canaries...AND ACT - NOW, NOT LATER. Listening to the first canary, and responding with a pre-emptive strike would have stopped this whole mess.
It was our moral duty as human to human to listen to the pleas of the weak and helpless and support them with due diligence. Our world is a fragile planet. Events can spiral out of control in grotesque and unbelievable ways...and many times does. Recent US politics are upside down, with the popular-ism of bombastic anti-PC comments. Social unrest with American Blacks against cops has spun out of control. And now the first successful terrorist attack in over a decade has hit the American streets again. To add insult to injury, fuel is thrown on these fires through media outlets like news stations, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Therefore, with so many canaries out there, is it not vital we watch, listen, and respond?
How many canaries must die before we wake up to our responsibilities?
Human populations may be getting larger, but the world is getting smaller, and whether we like it or not, we are our brothers keepers in this world. I'm sure ISIS will eventually be defeated...but at what cost? Must we do this to ourselves? The Christmas holiday has ended, but hopefully not the message of love toward others. It's not too late to be vigilant and do the right thing, but woe to those who ignores the first and the second canaries - for there may not be a third.
Links:
