They’re spraying us

Our good planet. It is filled with amazing things. Wonderful things. Dangerous things. The scope is wide and far.

We share this big blue ball with 7.3 billion other people. Right off the bat, THAT puts a lot of flavor in the stew. Yet. Our human-selves are just a tiny aspect of this place. There are plants. Animals. Minerals. Pumpernickel Bagels. So many incredible things.

I am frequently drawn to the Animal Kingdom, it seems. Why just the other day, I shared my sheer delight with you. That moment when I discovered that Sea Otters have a little pouch in their forearms where they keep their favorite rocks. Oh the joy that brings. Or when I look out into our meadow, and I see the bunnies doing that happy-rabbit-vertical-jumping thing. It makes me laugh.

However, some animals in our world are dangerous. Poisonous. Toxic. And we must give them ALL their personal space and a few extra margins, just to be wise. Yes. The toxicity. Like the Poison Dart Frog, the Widow Spiders, Jellyfish, Death Adders, Gila Monsters, and even the Slow Loris.

They are sneaky too, as some of the world’s deadliest animals come in small packages. Most of the little ones all lack claws and fangs, but they pack enough toxins to really hurt someone. Or perhaps, bring death to their unsuspecting victims. Like an Agatha Christie Novel.

But how do they do it without poisoning themselves? Well, I know some science guys, and this is what they say.

Those creepy, poisonous animals have evolved one or two methods to safeguard themselves from their own attacks. Some of those little scoundrels use special compartments to keep toxic chemicals separate from the rest of their bodies. Sort of like a car, and its glove compartment. (While we are on that one. Don’t you think the name of the “glove compartment” should be changed? Does anyone still store gloves in there? Like since 1907?)

Anyway, little crafty animals, with poisonous compartments. Here is how Ted-Ed explains it, and I will quote them. “The bombardier beetle, for example, keeps the ingredients of its caustic spray in two different chambers in its abdomen. Only when the secretions are released together do they produce the scalding, noxious spray the beetle is known for.”

Okay. The Scalding, Noxious Spray of the Bombardier Beetle. Does that alarm anyone else?

And then there is the other way, like with snakes and things. They have poison compartments in their bodies, but a little bit of the poison eeks out into their systems. So they build up an immunity to it. And then. THEN! they bite you.

So truly, this is a little bit like a Public Service Announcement.

Yes.

I’m only mentioning all this, because I see a parallel.

Lately, I’ve been running into some pretty toxic people. Mostly on the news and in social media. Both famous, and not-so-famous folks. They seem to use the same method of delivering their toxic waste. Their destruction. Their poison.

Scalding, Noxious Spray and Venom.

And they, themselves, seem to be immune to it.

If you haven’t noticed all of this, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

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“Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality.”
― Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark

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“The possession of knowledge does not kill the sense of wonder and mystery. There is always more mystery.”
― Anaïs Nin

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“The Way is not in the sky; the Way is in the heart.”
― Gautama Buddha

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