Daily life
is becoming a kaleidoscope of incidents and accidents, catastrophes and cataclysms,
in which we are endlessly running up against the unexpected, which occurs out
of the blue . . . In a shattered mirror, we must learn to discern what
is impending more and more often -- but above all more and more quickly, those events coming upon us inopportunely, if not indeed simultaneously.
(From Exhibition catalogue, "Museum of accidents," Fondation Cartier pour l'art Contemporain, circa 2002, quoted in Denise Lang, "Paul Virilio's Fatal Confusion of the Accident," SUNY University Press, 2009).
The apparent industrial accident in West, Texas makes one wonder about the wisdom of placing a middle school, a retirement center, an apartment complex and residential housing within the blast zone, akin to allowing homes to be built in flood plains or near nuclear plants, or fracking disruptions next to residences and business, sucking up water during a drought and triggering small earthquakes. Are we nuts? Is there zoning, are there permits? Was the buck earned yesterday worth the human, economic and environmental cost of the disaster today and tomorrow? I guess so, because that's the way it is.
Today's Rune: The Mystery Rune.
(From Exhibition catalogue, "Museum of accidents," Fondation Cartier pour l'art Contemporain, circa 2002, quoted in Denise Lang, "Paul Virilio's Fatal Confusion of the Accident," SUNY University Press, 2009).
The apparent industrial accident in West, Texas makes one wonder about the wisdom of placing a middle school, a retirement center, an apartment complex and residential housing within the blast zone, akin to allowing homes to be built in flood plains or near nuclear plants, or fracking disruptions next to residences and business, sucking up water during a drought and triggering small earthquakes. Are we nuts? Is there zoning, are there permits? Was the buck earned yesterday worth the human, economic and environmental cost of the disaster today and tomorrow? I guess so, because that's the way it is.
Today's Rune: The Mystery Rune.
3 comments:
It doesn't matter what we earned yesterday for we pay for it all today and tomorrow and ever after...
Unfortuntately, these things are getting less unexpected.
Erik, another tragedy and that petrifies the hell out of me. So very sad..
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