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The recent spillage of raw sewage into the Forth at Edinburgh is a timely reminder of several things, but one being that the incidents and events that take place in life have wider repercussions than we sometimes think. The reason why this has crossed my mind is that my wife and I were planning a trip to the east coast at North Berwick in the near future and all of a sudden our plans have changed! There is a simple enough resolution for us, we just go elsewhere. However those who live along that coast and more importantly for Hotels and Guest Houses who rely on the tourist trade, the incident is a financial and business disaster. Whatever happened to cause this incident to take place, whether it was mechanical failure or human error, although not irrelevant to those involved, makes no difference to the effect it has had on the environment. It reminds us that one little thing that takes place, one wrong decision made by anyone can have profound effects on other people’s lives.
To some extent if we were to take this to the extreme we would be paralysed into inactivity for fear of doing something that would change world events, but it is good from time to time to pause and reflect upon our actions. Whether it is by throwing a piece of litter away, whether it is by having bad attitude or speaking out harshly to someone, what repercussions might that have? It is good, sadly, to learn from the tragic events that happen from time to time, but also to be grateful to God that they are so few and far between.