We live in a world where everyone is trying to fix something. There is self-help and life coaching to fix people’s broken lives. There is international aid to “fix” the downtrodden. And there are the interventions to “fix” the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

And then there is the view of British scientists that the best thing to do with the oil spill is…nothing. Yes, nothing. Do nothing. According to an article published in the Mail & Guardian (Doing nothing might have been best for BP oil spill), chemical intervention to break up the oil faster does more long-term environmental damage than the oil itself. The drive to mop up is more driven by the politicians’ need to be seen to do something than what is actually best for the environment.

How much of a need is there for us to be seen to be doing something to better ourselves? (continue reading…)