An Comunn Gàidhealach Publications > Sruth > Volume 2 > No. 77, 5 March 1970

TWO
SRUTH, Di-ardaoin, 5mh latha de’n Mhairt 1970
fn/th
Di-ardaoin. 5mh latha de’n Mhairt 1970
Thursday, 5th March 1970
TURUS
le D. M. G.
BEO NO MARBH
’S DOCHA gum faca sibh an oidhche roimhe, air an TV
da dhotair ag obair le inneal airson tomhais na tha de
dhealain a’dol nad' chridhe Thugadh boireannach a stigh
agus chuir iad sios i a bhith marbh. Dh’fheuch iad an inneal
sgrudaidh so oirre agus thomhais e gluasad dealain 'na
cridhe. Bha so uairean a thide an deidh dhaibh a radh gu
robh i marbh. Ma tha, cuin a tha thu marbh, no taobh eile
an fhacail a ghabhail, cuin a tha thu boo? De tha toirt
dhuit an deo a th’annad? Their feadhainn ceangaillte ris
an Eaglais gur e Dia a tha toirt seo dhuit, gur e d’anam
do bheartalachd? Their feadhainn neo-chreidbheach gur e
siubhal dealain nad’ ionchainn a tha toirt dhuit an deo.
Cuin agus ciamar a thoimhseas tu gun do dh’fhalbh an deo
gu tur as an duine. Cha ghabh e tomhais. oir mar tha an
eisimpleir a’foillseaehadh tha dealain ag obair ann an cridhe
na mna seo uaireanan an uaireadair an deidh da h-anail
stad. Aon rud a tha fiosrach ’sa ghnothuich so air fad. Is
e sin gu bheil an ionchainn air a’milleadh gu buileach an
ceann tri mionaidean as aonais fuil ur fhallain. Mar a gabh
an inntinn caradh aig a cheart am tha inntinn an duine
air a mhilleadh cuideachd, oir mar bi an ionnchainn fallain
cha bhi an inntinn fallain. Nis, ma tha, cuin a tha an deo
no an anam no ge bu de a their thu ris, a’fagail oorp an
duine. A bheil e falbh a mach as a’chorp leis an anail mu
dheireadh, no bheil e fuireach gus a bheil an ionchainn
do-leasaiche ’s naeheil an cothrom air a chuir ceart. Ma
tha. e deanamh an rud mu dheireadh so, feumaidh gu
bheil lamh a’choireigin a’stiuireadh a’ ghnothuich.Ma tha
e air a chuir a mach gu bheil an duine rparbh uair ’s gu
bheil a h-uile siubhal dhealain air stad na bhodhaig, bithidh
iomadh duine a tha air a chuir a sios a bhith marbh, ’s
docha air ath bheothachadh.
Nuair a thig thu gu doighean basachaidh. tha cuid a
tha furasda gu leor a radii gu bheil iad marbh — abair ma
tha iad dithcheannach, ach tha cuid eile ann nach eil cho
furasda. Bi air d’earalas’s docha nuair a their iad gu bheil
thu deas nacheil thu deas idih!
ECOLOGY — A NEW RELIGION?
THE threat of a polluted environment has been taken up
as a subject for universal concern — even though the
beginnings of pollution occurred some twenty years ago.
It is strange to think that human beings, seemingly so
concerned with their environments (play spaces, National
Parks, gardens at the back door, pedestrian shopping pre¬
cincts in new towns), are only now waking up to the fact
that we who constitute the present generation are con¬
demning our grandchildren to a life of starvation. We do
not mean merely not enough things to eat. We mean fresh
air, fresh water, open spaces to live, natural resources to
enjoy, and so on.
Perhaps the time has come to get back to the ground
roots which were lost when Christianity turned Man’s
attention to living in a spiritual state, accepting the
physical body as a temporary accommodating facility. Dr
Paul Erlich has said: “By destroying pagan animism,
Christianity made it possible to.exploit nature in a mood
of indifference to the feelings of natural objects.”
One supposes that the intelligent Christian is aware
that, his physical environment, no matter how temporary,
is important even as a mere visible sign of his Creator’s
ability and concern. If so, why the gross indifference which
is being displayed today? It may well be that the time has
come for a new religious force to rise up in the land: that
of ecology.
Ecology, to the scientific world, is the study of living
organisms and the way they relate to one another. To
the man in the street it means, properly pursued, a chance
for himself and his children to live out their lives in
pleasant circumstances. We in the Highlands and Islands
of Scotland are fortunate in that our region is so wild and
natural that it will take some time for the rest of the
world to invade it and impose all of the most undesirable
conditions at present associated with densely-populated
urbanised areas. But it is important that the time we have
in hand is not wasted.
The water resources of Wales have already been
commandeered by the Englsh midlands and north-west
connurbations. 4This must not happen in our region. Again,
we must ensure that the belated Industriar Revolution
which the workings of the Highland Board have brought
to the region do not contribute to a lowering of the
quality of our present environment.
Ecology has been described as the “religion of sur¬
vival.” It is important that we all consider ourselves
potential converts. One imagines that the Creator would
agree with any move of Man to preserve what was given
fo him so long ago.
A leasachadh’s a leudachadh
d’inntinn feumaidh tu cuairt a
ghabhail feadh xomadh dut-
haich chein. Ciamar a ni thu
so — an ann a bhith a’leughadh
a’feitheamh an TV, no ag eis
deachd ris an reidio. ’S docha
gun leig thu do mliac meamnna
ma sgaoil’s gun siubhal thu ie
astar do thuigseach air feadh
an t-saoghail is an cruinne-ce
gu leir.
Ma tha de bhuannaicheas tu
ma dh’fhagas tu Uibsist, abair,
airson Inbhimis no Glaschu?
Cha bhuannaich dad saoghalail
acs gur docha gum faigh thu
cothrom dram no pinnt a ghab¬
hail gun fhios a bhith aig a h-
uile duine air! Ma dh’fhiachas
tu dad eile caran cumanta —
ma theid thu mach le nighean
abair, tha 'fhios aig ant-saoghal
air fad air mus coinnich thu
idir i! Aon rud a chailleadh tu
a’fuireachd ged nacheil so fior
ann an cuid de na h-Eileanan,
’s e cothrom inbhe Aird Sgoil
a ruigheachd. An luib seo fhein
tha call a tighinn, oir mar as
fhaide theid thu air adhart le
sgoilearachd ’s ann as iugha
’’heibh thu de dh’obair aig an
tigh — a bharrachd air a bhith
’nad mhinistear no ’nad mhaigh-
stair-sgoile — ’s tha gu leor
de’n da chuid ann cheanna.
Chailleadh tu cuideachd, mar
thubhairt an cat ris an radan,
“ cairdeas, comunn agus gaol.”
Tha seo air a thaisbeanadh gu
soilleir nuair a chithear na tha
de chomunnan ’s de chruinni-
chean beaga Gaidhealach air
feadh Alba’s an saoghal gu leir.
An rud as miosa mun cuairt air
an leithidsan, ’se gu bheil iad
a’cur an ceill doigh beatha nach
eil mar as trice co-cheangailte
ri beatha nan Eileanach an
diugh ach ri fichead bliadhna
air ais. „
A thaobh gnothuichean saog-
halta cha bhunnaich an t-Eil-
eanach dub nuair a thig e gu tir
mor. Tha innealan obrach :aige
cho sgoinneil ’s tha ’san dut-
haich ’s innealan tighe nach
fhaighear ann am fichead tgih
’sa cheud an Glaschu no ’n
Dun Eideann.
Nan cunntaiseadh thu na
tha de thighean ’s a chiad as
aonais nigheadair no eadhon
uisge teth ’s na h-Eileanan ’s
a chur an aghaidh na-tha ’sa
chiad as aonais’s na bailtean
mora gu leir — gheibheadh
tu eagal. Chitheadh tu nach
biodh corr air coig ’sa cheud
as aonais agus am baile mor
sam bith ’s docha gum bit-
headh suas ri fichead ’sa
cheud as aonais — a reir ’s
caite an teid thu.
A thilleadh gu cairdeas
comunn agus gaol, tha doigh
beatha nan Eilean ’s mar b’
abhaist a Ghaidhealtachd a
bhith, air a steidheachadh air
grunnain beaga dhaoine an
sin ’s an so. Tha na daoine
sin a measg a cheile o mhoch
gu dubh, a’cuideachadh, a’
caradh ’sa fuasgladh le cheile
gach ceist is trioblaid thig
roimpe. Chaneil sin ri radh
gur e Neamh air thalamh a
th’ann ach gur e doigh beatha
dluth fhillte th’ann — air a
shon sin ’s air fad carson tha
uiread a’ fagail — caite bheil
an laige ?
Tha so. Tha thu airson a
mhor chuid a’leughadh, a’
coimhead ’sa g’eisdeachd
Beurla. Tha an tarruingeadas
aige so a’slaodadh d’inntinn
air falbh bho’n doigh beatha
agad fhein. Tha an dluth fhil-
leadh ’ga bhristeadh. Tha na
mic is na nigheanan a’ fagail
an tighe do’n ard sgoil ’s as
an sin do’n Oilthigh — a dh’
fheuchainn leudachadh inn¬
tinn fhaighinn, ’s cairdeas,
comunn agus gaol a lorg a
measg nuallanaich nam bod-
ach. ladsan nach eil an duil
ri sgoil — ’s chan urrainn
doa’n h-uile duine bhith na
fheallsanach — ma tha cus
shaoir; mheacanicean is mar-
aichean a’dol — tha an sao¬
ghal mor romhad’s feumaidh
tu gabhail ris. Tha thu ’nad
shliseig air barr a’chuain a
tha ’gad shluaisreadh o mhoch
gu dubh’s o latha gu bliadh¬
na.
Sin an rud a chailleas tu—
comas stad a chuir air an t-
saoghal agad fhein, d’anail
a leigeil ’s sealltainn air gach
gnothuch thig gu d’aire . . .
troimh an sgleo bhitheas air
do shuilean co dhiubh!
The Sea Is Still
Unknown
While the world is still feel¬
ing the excitement of the second
of man’s landings on the moon,
scientists in’ many parts of the
world are probing the depths of
the earth’s oceans which are just
as inaccessible as outer space.
Many countries are now look¬
ing to the sea as a long-term
source of weath. And it has
been said that before this cen¬
tury has passed, man will have
returned to the sea from which
his species evolved.
Gas drilling rigs in mid¬
ocean are now commonplace.
Fish-farming on a commercial
scale has proved feasible. An
ocean hunt is at present con¬
centrated in the North Atlantic,
where Russia is conducting a
massive fish-searching experi¬
ment from a floating cannery.
In fact Russia maintains the lar¬
gest research operations on the
world’s oceans. France and the
United States lead in sea-floor
technology.
Seaweed is also harvested in
great quantities. The Scottish
alginate industry is the second-
largest in the world, second to
the United States.
Yet another aspect of research
is the increasing shortages of
fresh water resources of many
countries. This has led to the
conversion of salt-water into
good drinking water. The USA
is at present financing more than
one hundred conversion experi-
by F. G. Thomson
ments for the arid parts of the
south-western states.
It is not often realised that
whereas man’s knowledge might
increase with further space ex¬
ploration, research into the re¬
sources of the earth’s -oceans has
a direct bearing on life on our
overcrowded planet. They will
provide much-needed food for
many countries now on the
starvation level. And some
scientists even predict that as
land areas become too densely
copulated, people will take to
living in the sea.
In 1962, Dr Jacques-Yves
Countsea predicted that man
was evolving a marine species,
Homo acquaticus, the sea-man.
In fact, there is evidence1 that
the new species might already
be with us.
Francisco Figuero of Manila
University in the Phillipines re¬
cently found a sea-boy in the
Pacific. ,
The boy was about thirteen
years old, weighed some 12
stones and had a limited speech.
He spends more time in the sea
than on land and, as might be
expected, is an astonishing
sw'immer. ,
Without a racing start or flip
turn in a swimming pool, the
boy swam 100 metres in the
open water and recorded a time
which was only seconds slower
than the world record of 52
seconds.
Japan is already training her
commercial fishermen as divers,
to make the important transition
from sea hunting to sea hus¬
bandry.
With two-thirds of the earth’s
surface covered with oceans,
full of hope for future genera¬
tions, it seems opportune to ac¬
celerate research activities to
benefit our children and grand¬
children.
Or is the moon so much more
important ?