Ambiguity

Sometimes I find I don't know just how to react and it takes time to sort out my overwhelmed-at-a-loss-for-words response.

I passed the Santa Rita Mine on the way to the Gila Cliff Dwellings. Here along the roadside was a pull-out to allow travelers a better opportunity to stop and stare at this gigantic gash in the earth. To get a mind-boggling sense of just how massive this operation is, pull it up on Google Earth.

From the observation point I could see dump trucks moving through the mine. I later discovered they were built specially for mines like this and that they stood three stories tall; they looked like matchbox trucks from where I stood.

Those mountains in the background are talus heaps -- the copper has been extracted and the remainder returned to stand barren. Nearby mountains are covered with trees (as this land once was) and I can't help but wonder what will happen to them and if these will ever recover.

The talus heaps with their various turquoise, tan and gray strata are stunningly beautiful to look at

Here in Houston, the unscrupulous steal air conditioners, small electric motors and wiring to sell the copper to recyclers for a few dollars.

Beauty and horror mix, the mouth hangs open and I can't escape the thought that we are paying too great a price for the copper that is fundamental to so much of our lives. Coming face-to-face with a consequence of how we (I) live creates dis-ease and causes me to wonder just what the effect of other choices I make might be.