water, food, and toilets...

Yesterday I watched a show about a teacher who almost lost his job because he believed he saw a UFO. The university thought he was crazy and unfit to teach. Shortly after that, I watched a documentary about the world's toilet crisis. Apparently, 2.6 billion people on this planet don't have toilets. They basically walk out into an open field and defecate. 1000 children die each day from illnesses related to the water they drink. They're essentially drinking water contaminated with fecal matter. So what do UFO's and feces have in common? Well, nothing...but I'll make my point known in just a minute.

There are those who think this planet is the only source of intelligent life in the entire Universe. There's an estimated 50 thousand million galaxies in the Universe and we live in 1. How often do you see the word thousand precede million? That's A LOT. Im hoping there's life of some form in one of those galaxies. I think some people refuse to believe it because it shakes the foundation of their religious beliefs. And for some, if the Bible doesn't mention it, it simply isn't true or does not exist.

When I discuss this planet, I find myself having to defend the fact that Im not a pessimist. Honestly, there are times when I think humanity is hopeless. It was weird even typing that. Despite that, I find so much beauty and hope in my daily life that I appreciate so many simple things. I appreciate being able to eat and have water appear instantly when I twist a little handle. And after I eat and drink, Im able to retreat to a private place and my waste ''vanishes'' when I flush.

So, here's my point. To those who think we humans are the only intelligent form of life in the entire universe, I pray we are not. Let's say there are 6.8 billion people living on this planet. Over a third of those 6.8 billion are pooping in fields or rivers because they dont have simple necessities like toilets. There is literally a river in India bubbling with methane gas because so many people poop in it. That's not very intelligent. This country is plagued with an epidemic of obesity. Yes, some people consume so many calories and have access to so much food that they become ill. On the other hand, there are places in the world where people die from the very opposite. There are animals in this country raised specifically for slaughter and consumption and many of them eat better than some humans living in other countries. That's not very intelligent. Okay, Im not saying humans are stupid. I am saying we have yet to figure out a way to take care of everyone living on this planet. When someone dies prematurely due to something preventable, humanity suffers. We suffer because that person is no longer able to contribute to the progress and growth of this planet. How many potentially brilliant thinkers, poets, philosophers, scientists, healers, or writers died in a poverty stricken country?

Here's where my optimism chimes in. I think it's possible for everyone on this planet to have everything they need. If greed and debt were removed, I think this planet would be amazing. We'll be truly intelligent when we can harness and use the abundant energy on this planet without harming it. We'll be intelligent when we can forgive debts and spread resources. We'll be intelligent when everyone can do simple things like eat and use a toilet. Some think that everyone having all the things they need to live is impossible. I think it's very possible and we're very capable.  I wish something would catapult our thinking on a mass scale.  Questions are a great first step. When things are questioned, veils are dropped and we flirt with possibilities. Without questions and possibilities, we're simply field-squatting poopers claiming to be the only intelligent life in the entire universe. That sounded ridiculous, huh?