| | Dead BodiesFeatured_Grownups asked for my thoughts about a dead body. Not exactly the topic I would have picked, but here are my first thoughts - well, maybe my second thoughts - on the matter.
About twenty-five miles east of the Holy City of Jerusalem a body of water 42 miles long and 11 miles wide stands 1300 feet below sea level. It is known as The Dead Sea. It is called the Dead Sea because the salt content of its waters is so high that it's impossible for any living thing to exist in its waters. Actually, to call it “salt” is something of a misnomer. The actual composition is about 50% magnesium chloride, 40% potassium chloride, 8 or 9% sodium chloride (common salt). There are also a few trace elements making up an additional 1 or 2%. This mineral content is more that 30 times higher that sea water.
Almost 4000 years ago, it was known to Abraham and his nephew Lot. Joshua took the city of Jericho at the northwest edge of the sea about 3500 years ago. 3000 years ago, David hid from Israel’s King Saul on the west bank of the Dead Sea. About 2000 years ago Herod the Great built a fortified palace near the southwestern edge of the sea. The Essenes hid their copies of the scriptures (the Dead Sea Scrolls) in the caves at Qumran, on the West Bank.
Today, the Dead Sea is a popular tourist attraction. It is also a source of potash, bromine, and asphalt. The list of products that are produced from it even includes a line of cosmetics and skin beauty treatments. Some research has suggested that in addition to the mineral content of the water, the area around the sea is a kind of natural health spa because of the low pollen and allergen content of the atmosphere. It even plays host to some hot springs.
With all of these products, one would easily deduce that the Dead Sea has important economic ramifications for Israel and Jordan. That would be a valid assessment. However, this great natural resource is in trouble as a result of diversion of upstream waters from the Jordan River to help support other needs. This diversion has reduced the flow of water into the Dead Sea so much that what water remains is actually evaporating faster than new water can flow into the sea. The result has been a rapid lowering of the water level. In the last 30 years alone, the sea level has dropped more than 70 feet.
As a result, a unique opportunity has presented itself to the region. For what may be the first time in modern history, Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authority have signed an agreement to cooperate in a feasibility study to determine whether the area can be rejuvenated by construction of a canal to bring water from either the Red Sea or the Mediterranean Sea into the area. Perhaps such a joint construction project may help all parties in the area to learn a little more about each other and to trust one another. That might be one small step toward peace in the area, assuming these people are left alone to work out their own problems, free from the influence of outside forces. If this can be done, perhaps a dead body can be a source of new hope and new life for all the people of the region.
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| | Posted 2/4/2007 7:49 PM - 24 comments
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