Ring Around the Rosie

Ring around the rosie...

...pocket full of posies

...ashes, ashes,

...we all fall down.

Legend has it that this children's rhyme is a response to the Bubonic Plague, though many dispute the claim.

I suppose the idea - like many fairy tales and children's stories - is to prepare our offspring for the harsh realities of life. Most of Walt Disney's tales were adapted (read stolen) versions of dark tales from the Brothers' Grimm.

We rarely seem to do it anymore...Help our children understand some of the things - yes, sometimes negative - going on around them.

I posted a recently about a study that found industrial chemicals in the umbilical cords of 10 random women who had just given birth. Tests from each of the women - from around the US - found that each had over 200 industrial chemicals in their womb. We really are toxic.

Statistics like these have real stories behind them. Many times tragic stories of cancer, leukemia and even asthma. These are the stories of those "falling" all around us.

...The stories of Environmental Injustice. I'm not going to sugar coat it. Many of these stories take place in low income communities of color and poor white communities. Sometimes it is done intentionally - children are poisoned because of the color of their skin, or their lot in life...all in the name of profit.

At the same time, I'm not naive. I know pollution knows no boundaries. Ultimately, it affects each and every person on our planet. And we really know nothing about the long term effects of industrial pollution. (Our children may.)

So for all those suffering from industrial toxics and pollution, for all of those who have died from the health effects of those toxins, I'm planting some posies. And I'm going to tell people why I'm planting them.

Though the flowers may smell wonderful, they'll never cover up what's happening to us.