choices

Sweet Pleasure – ND #100

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I wore these guys out tonight! – Photo: L. Weikel

Sweet Pleasure

I went down a rabbit hole tonight and only realized about ten minutes ago that it was past midnight already. Experiencing this is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, I’m annoyed that I got so caught up in what I was doing that I lost track of time. But on the other hand, the experience of diving into an activity and becoming so immersed in it that I lose track of time is a profoundly sweet pleasure.

Having this experience makes me realize just how rare it’s become in my life, and that makes me sad. Of course, I could make different choices and create more opportunities for indulging in such focus. Perhaps I will. But if I’m honest with myself, I probably won’t.

Part of the reason for that is that I don’t live in a vacuum. I live with Karl and we’ve settled into certain routines and ways of coping with how we manage the outside world. We’ve become comfortable in our ruts.

New Choices

Losing myself in the act of learning something new tonight really has me reflecting upon how much our lives have changed over the years. I realize (with some relief, I might add) that I do still have a reasonably decent attention span. I know it’s dwindled to some extent by virtue of all the electronics in my life and the irritatingly addictive dopamine effect of checking for email or ‘breaking news’ or text messages.

But at least I’ve not lost it altogether.

Realizing this, I’m feeling a yearning to reclaim some of my time. Perhaps make some new and different choices on where I place my attention.

I don’t want to mourn the dreams I have yet to fulfill just because I’m unwilling to turn off our television. Perhaps there’s a compromise I can negotiate with myself (and Karl).

Perhaps this whole unexpected conversation with myself is a reflection of something I need to give up at this time of the Virgo full moon. It’s the last full moon of winter. Spring arrives on Sunday.

Seems like a perfect time to make some new choices.

(T+100)

Ides of March – ND #96

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Et tu, Brute? – Photo: L. Weikel

Ides of March

We’re starting a new week. I wonder what’s in store for us, collectively, as the week begins with the Ides of March? (Well, technically the Ides are on Tuesday, but close enough.) And then, only three days later, the moon reaches her fullness – bringing who knows what to completion and conclusion? And then, one day after that, the Spring Equinox.

That’s the thing about time – it just keeps on keeping on. Sometimes it feels like it’s whizzing by and other times it feels like we’re in an inescapable slog through quicksand. It’s even deceptive in the sense that it may feel like we’re living in an interminable, static loop and then suddenly, we look around and realize everything has changed.

It feels like the coming week could be one of those. One that feels like nothing is changing and yet when we reach its end, we’ll look back and realize everything has.

A Guide for the Week

Given that this week holds the potential for a lot of upheaval and change, I thought I’d choose a card for us to have as a guide to what’s in store as the week unfolds. No matter what happens, perhaps this card – and its foundation – can help us make sense of the chaos.

The deck I decided to pull from is The Naked Heart Tarot* by Jillian C. Wilde.

Two of Swords – Naked Heart Tarot* – (c) Jillian C. Wilde

Main Card: Two of Swords ~ “Inner Struggle”

“Two swords are tied up with an anchor, suggesting that in order to move forward, you need to make a decision that may be weighing heavily upon you.

The Message:  The Two of Swords represents a time when you are battling with a decision on how to best move forward. You feel so anchored by the weight of a choice or point of view that it slowly pulls you down, and keeps you stuck. You may feel roped to an internal struggle between your head and your heart, not knowing which has your best interest in mind. Your heart may already know what to do, but you are feeling unable to let your guard down and commit without having all the information needed to make a comfortable decision. Sometimes, a choice just needs to be made, and it takes a leap of faith. No matter how hard or painful the choice is, you must make it. Once it is made, you must anchor yourself to the choice. It is the only way to move forward with peace and a new beginning. Ultimately you can make no wrong decision. Under the guidance of the Universe, you will always be nudged back to where you belong.”

Ten of Swords – Naked Heart Tarot* – (c) Jillian C. Wilde

Foundation Card (Underneath): Ten of Swords ~ “Resolve and Release”

“The rat lies on its side as ten swords are driven down from above piercing its spirit, hinting that the end is near.

The Message: The Ten of Swords represents a time of completion when a much-needed ending to a conversation, idea or discussion is necessary. You’ve already been through every detail, argument, theory, and solution there is to offer, and now you are starting to cycle through them again. Rat energy reminds you that it is time to purge old ways and victim mentality, release the clutter and the story attached to the situation, so you can allow room for new beginnings. Going back through it and over it all will not bring you any closer to resolution. It is time to get to the heart of the wound, and cut out the drama, and bring things to completion. Time to release and let it go. Agree to disagree or just bury it in the past, so at this stage, you can more forward. You may feel a sense of resistance or sadness as you go through the process, but it is also an opportunity to reflect upon valuable insights. All is not lost, it is a chance to drop the weight of the mental baggage that has cut so deeply into you, give it to the Universe and let it go. The worst is over.”

My Take

These cards almost certainly have application in one form or another to our own individual lives and circumstances, since we’re each a microcosm of the macrocosm (living out those adages “as above, so below” and “as within so without”). But the broader implication, the prospect of even weightier decisions becoming necessary regarding global circumstances, is obvious.

It seems to me that the longer we postpone making the choices we fear (but which inevitably must be made), the anchor only becomes heavier.

The hope I see in these cards (and there is some) is the prospect for peace in the top card – and the realization that the worst is over in the foundation card. But for the worst to be over, the difficult choice must be made.

Let’s hold in our hearts a vision that the ‘powers that be’ make the highest and best choice for all of us, individually, nationally, and culturally, for humanity, the Earth, and all Her children. We just might be at that place in our evolution.

*affiliate link

(T+96)

All These Ones – Day 1001

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Ripples – Photo: L. Weikel

All These Ones

Holy cow! With all these ones surrounding us tonight and a powerful new moon to boot, how could it not be a time for fresh starts, planting seeds of creative intention, and contemplating the new stories we’re ready to begin weaving in our lives?

In case you’re puzzling over exactly what ‘ones’ I’m talking about, it’s the “Day 1001” above and the “(T-110)” at the end of this post. Ones galore. New beginnings. And since many of you have been faithful compatriots over the long slog that’s brought us to yesterday’s milestone – now with only 110 left to go! – I dare say each one of you is undoubtedly standing at the cusp of something new in your life, too.

Perhaps it’s a major life decision, such as selling your home, pursuing a new field of study or expertise, opening your own business, or adopting a baby. Or maybe it’s something on a much smaller scale – or perhaps only seems so in this moment – but may end up changing the major trajectory of your life.

Flow and Bubbles – Photo: L. Weikel

So Much Going On All Around Us

With all the static and confusion, the rancor and fear that’s swirling around us, I challenge us all to find one new little twist we can add to the story of our lives right this moment. Even if the new thought or activity only changes five minutes of the story we tell ourselves, what will happen if we think it and then act on it?

Where will those new and different five minutes of our lives lead us? That new thought or choice might seem to shift the strands of our destiny a single degree from where they were otherwise headed. But over time? Wow. It could lead to a transformation of our reality.

I’m sharing ‘all these ones’ with each of you. If you weren’t reading my words, then they wouldn’t matter in the least.

And so I invite you to embrace this opportunity to add a little spice to our stories. And ok. If you’d rather sweet instead of spice, I say, “Go for it!” Either way, or even another way entirely, recall the tantalizing anticipation that comes with starting a new book or movie and imagine feeling that way about your tomorrow.

(T-110)

Home Stretch – Day 777

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Home Stretch – Precious – Photo: L. Weikel

Home Stretch

Here we are, entering the home stretch of 2020, four digits comprising a year that will surely live as infamously in our collective memories as the three digits of 9/11.

Even though I sense it’s a mistake to think everything will suddenly improve once 2021 arrives, there is something to be said for ringing in a new year (or sometimes even a new month or a new week – if we’re desperate). No matter what our circumstances, it’s our nature as humans. We look for a reason to renew our hope, to believe that the tide has turned, that something – even if imperceptible – has changed.

And the truth is, things will change in 2021. As it’s been said countless times over the years, change is constant and therefor inevitable. Every single thing we look at, taste, touch, smell, perceive in any way is changing. It may be imperceptible at any given moment, but change is inexorable.

Fear of Change

Another truth? We humans tend to fear change at the deepest level of our being. How much do we fear it? We fear it so much that we’ll often opt to remain in a situation that literally hurts us physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, including combinations thereof, rather than affirmatively act to change our circumstances.

So these two competing concepts set us up for some serious stress. Everything changes; therefore change is inevitable. Yet we fear change, resist it, and plain just do not like it.

Coping with these internal stressors can be hard on us on a good day. But when you think about what all of us have been dealing with over the past year (and some might even argue for the past four years), including massive job loss, complete disruption of our lives on every level but especially socially, food and housing insecurity felt by people who’ve never encountered this situation before, pandemic infection rates rising exponentially, massive loss of loved ones on a scale not seen in a century. I could throw into this toxic mess the instability and fear that an unstable person in the White House who refuses to abide by the results of our election (and the appalling behavior of his enablers in the U.S. Congress) creates in the pit of our collective stomach.

It’s just all so very much to handle. We are at once being asked to duck and bob and weave the repercussions of change all day every day, while also, again, feeling like any change could lead to something worse.

Hope

And so? With change on the horizon, as it inevitably is, the best we can do is hope that it’s bringing us a better tomorrow. We have the ability to make choices that impact the change we experience.

We can choose to behave safely. We can choose to stay home unless absolutely required for our employment or survival. We can choose to be compassionate toward ourselves and each other. The person who is stressed out beyond measure in the grocery checkout line may well have just lost a family member or friend.

One in 17 of us have contracted the virus and one out of every 1,000 Americans have now died from Covid. The chances of personally experiencing the ravages of this pandemic – or knowing someone who has – are increasing at an alarming rate. Knowing this, we can choose to be kind. We can choose to respect each other and not force a choice between one person’s ‘rights’ and another’s.

We can choose to be people who engender hope – in humanity, in each other, in our future.

We’re in the home stretch of 2020. Let’s set the bar for ourselves for 2021 and stretch to meet our best selves this coming year.

The day we lose our hope, we lose ourselves.

Home Stretch – Spartacus (aka “Kissing the Bear”) – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-334)

Watchers – Day 683

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First Watchers – Photo: L. Weikel

Watchers

Yesterday and especially today I began seeing evidence that ‘watchers’ and ‘witnesses’ are arriving on the scene. My sense is that the purpose underlying their presence is at minimum two-fold and quite possibly manifold.

First of all, the couple of small watchers that appeared above me as I sat at on a boulder in the middle of the Tohickon yesterday felt playful. The one on the right appeared to be diving down toward me, sort of emulating a person doing the frog kick of a swimmer doing breaststroke. I don’t know why, but it conveyed to me a message of, “Hey! Don’t stay down. Lighten up! Release your overwhelm into the flow of the creek and play. Know that we’re here. You’re not alone.”

Simply sitting at the creek the way I did and allowing myself to drink in the serenity of that place for half an hour was precious and restorative to my sense of well-being.

Getting Closer – Photo: L. Weikel

 

Getting Closer

Then we walked tonight and the sense of more beings making a closer inspection was palpable. Not only was I aware of the difference in size and demeanor of tonight’s visitors as compared to yesterday’s, the sense of scrutiny (perhaps both of being scrutinized and being asked to view circumstances with greater attention) was dramatically different.

There’s a lot going on right now. We’re hearing warnings – especially over the past few days – that have not been expressed since the midst of the Civil War, and some would argue, not since the inception of this country.

I do believe we’re being watched to see how we will react to these times of unprecedented choice. Of course there may or many not be interest in whether the grand experiment known as the United States of America will survive now that someone is basically refusing to abide by long-established ‘norms’ of behavior that most people never thought needed to be codified.

Universal Implications

But I get the feeling that the interest goes well beyond interest in the survival of our baby country. It’s the impact our survival as the beacon of ‘free and fair elections,’ of the champion of the ‘rule of law’ and ‘peaceful succession of power,’ will have on the rest of our planet. And the reason this survival issue is of interest to beings that may be viewing from ‘above,’ if you will, is because whether we choose to apply the underlying principles of love, justice, fairness, compassion, and responsibility to each other will literally ripple out into the Universe.

Do we choose our personal freedom to say, do, and be whatever we want without any thought to the way our choices impact others? Or do we recognize a higher octave of freedom? The higher octave that demands that we exercise our freedom to protect and ensure the rights of all?

Choices Matter

Right now, the choices we make have monumental consequences. Our responsibility to ourselves, each other, those with whom we share this planet, the planet herself, and sentient beings existing beyond our usual perceptions is being tested by fire.

They’re watching. We need to watch ourselves.

Scrutiny – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-428)

#WWRBGD – Day 677

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Photo: L.Weikel

#WWRBGD

What a blow to our already stressed collective psyche. I’m referring, of course, to our loss this evening of the iconic Ruth Bader Ginsburg, second female Supreme Court Justice of this United States of America, to the unrelenting ravages of cancer. As soon as the world knew of her passing, my phone lit up in reaction to the profound grief so many of my friends, family, and colleagues are feeling in this moment. It is as if 2020 refuses to relent. We’re being pounded into submission, forced to face head-on the stark reality – and profundity – of the choices facing us. And in the face of our grief, in the face of these choices, I ask: #WWRBGD?

Let me be clear: I am not being glib or cute in asking the question. Perhaps asking the question in the form of a hashtag lends it a more pedestrian patina than I’d like, but I actually think the fierce, dynamic champion of human rights would chuckle. After all, she embraced her status as ‘the Notorious RGB,’ and she undoubtedly knew of the hashtag #WWJD. It seems only fitting that #WWRGBD take its rightful place as a question the answer to which might guide our actions in the days to come.

I ask the question, #WWRGBD, because it is too easy for us to get lost in grief and lose our focus on what’s truly important. Yes, her life had historic significance and impact. And goodness knows, she fought an Herculean battle to remain on the bench until, ideally, a new president could be elected.

But it wasn’t meant to be.

We Must Not Give Up

And when I consider how tenaciously she fought throughout her life, not only for equality, fairness, and justice under the law, but also to model collegiality, open-heartedness, integrity, and grace, I cannot imagine us demeaning her efforts by giving up the fight to soundly defeat Donald Trump and his enablers in the House and Senate.

We must not give up. We must not surrender to grief or despondency. We know what’s at stake and we must use her death as a rallying cry, a rod that stiffens our spines, and a torch that leads us to do whatever it takes to reclaim our country and the principles and values upon which it stands.

When our energy flags, when we are slapped in the face yet again with the hypocrisy of the Mitch McConnells, Donald Trumps, William Barrs, and Ted Cruzes (just to name a few), we must stop and ask ourselves: #WWRBGD?

I have no doubt that she would tell us to suck it up and move forward. In my mind, that’s the best way we can honor her memory and her legacy.

(T-434)

 

Schitt’s Creek – Day 653

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Promise on the Horizon – Photo: L. Weikel

Schitt’s Creek

In an effort to avoid as much deliberately-induced anxiety as possible, Karl and I decided to abstain from political fare this week. We’re choosing instead to rely primarily on video clips embedded in news articles for a recap of the state of our country as viewed by the Republican Party. Which brings me to what we’ve been watching instead: Schitt’s Creek.

We only started watching this show, which ran for five seasons, about six weeks ago. It just aired its last episode on Netflix this past April – and I’m pretty sure we started watching it because of the affection expressed by viewers who seemed genuinely sad to see it end.

It took us a couple episodes to get into it, but the campy characters and their affectations are both over-the-top and endearing. There’s no violence or ugliness. It’s mostly about relationships, primarily superficial ones, but some of them are particularly playful and truly fun to watch develop.

Most importantly, though, the show is an easy, light, and playful escape from, well, the shit’s creek we find ourselves up, especially as Americans, if we’re clear-eyed and honest. And just catching some of the clips from the two evenings of the RNC extravaganza so far, makes it clear (if it wasn’t already) that we’re navigating without a paddle.

(No. I couldn’t leave it. It had to be said. You knew it was coming. I tried to muzzle myself but, in the end, I couldn’t resist.)

The truth is, we’ve streamed an especially generous number of episodes of Schitt’s Creek over the past couple of days – and the irony just had to translate into a blog post.

The Alternative

The alternative to me making lame jokes about the name of a television series and extolling its efficacy in allowing our minds to slip into neutral for an evening is – you guessed it – more cloud sharing.

Tonight we witnessed some towering specimens of magnificence, which then gradually gave forth to some startlingly ominous and threatening banks of darkness. And yes, the metaphors weren’t lost on us.

It was as if we were witnessing a water vapor enhanced exposition of the soaring visions painted last week juxtaposed against the oppressive boogeymen of fear and oppression on offer this week. What was most remarkable, perhaps, was the rapidity with which the transformation occurred.

Looking NW – Photo: L. Weikel

A Warning

All of which feels like an essential reminder and warning to all of us. Things can change dramatically (in a myriad of ways) in the blink of an eye. We make assumptions at our peril.

We mustn’t be afraid – but we also must, at the same time, remain vigilant and steadfast in what we know to be of greatest importance in life. We’re living in unprecedented times, and we’re being asked to choose the world we want to both create and leave as our legacy.

Do we choose to see and build on the beauty? On love? Or will we focus on the darkness, the fear, and the division?

It’s up to us. And our choices are our paddle.

Looking NE – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-458)

Ford v Ferrari – Day 609

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Forbes.com

Ford v Ferrari

Karl and I watched the movie Ford v Ferrari tonight on HBO.

I think Karl was pretty surprised that I suggested we watch it. To be honest, it wasn’t a move either one of us would think we’d be interested in. While I love to drive – and stick is best – I am definitely not a racecar fan.

I suggested it because I like the actors who star in it (Matt Damon and Christian Bale) and I knew it had produced some Oscar nominations. But I have to say, I didn’t expect to be writing a post about it.

What a good movie, though! I love it when we start watching a production hoping for the best but not having the highest of expectations. It’s great to be pleasantly surprised.

The Choices We Make

It’s a true story, or at least it’s factually based on the lives of two men, Carroll Shelby, a race car designer and builder, and Ken Miles, a daring and skilled race car driver. The drama was tight and definitely relatable, especially with respect to the pressure brought to bear on the pair from corporate suits at Ford.

Indeed, that aspect was maddening.

But when all was said and done, the choices each made in the moment stuck with me. They caused me to think about life and what we do with the time we’re given here on Earth. What values and talents do we hope to pass on to our kids? What’s really important to each of us in the long run? I know, typical annoying questions you’d expect me to ask.

Yet I ask that them not only with respect to the choices made by the characters in the movie, but also with respect to our own legacies.

Our Choices Define Us

The driver, Ken Miles, is certainly depicted as a guy who drove hard but was intimately tuned to the machine he was driving. He could read the cars he drove better than most of us read our own bodies. And he achieved some milestones with those cars that obviously made a difference, especially in the trajectory and legacy of the Ford Motor Company. I can only imagine how proud his wife and son were – and are – of him. Certainly they must be gratified that his story is being told.

And yet I suspect many people unfamiliar with the racing world would never have heard of him had it not been for this movie. And even if everyone knew his name at one point (in the ‘60s), it seems to only take a couple of decades or so for people to forget.

Most pertinent of all, at least from how he is depicted in this movie, I doubt Ken Miles ever imagined a movie would be made about him, his choices, and his role in the competition between Ford and Ferrari.

All Around Us

All around us there are people living extraordinary lives who probably appear ordinary to many of their peers. Indeed, perhaps many of us sharing these posts are living such lives.

It makes me think about the stories we hold close to the vest. Why we make the choices we do. Who cares and who will remember?

In any given moment, it seems like the true measure of who we are resides in the choices we make when we think no one will ever know and no one will ever care.

In the end, if we’re not true to ourselves, then why bother?

(T-502)

New Moon in Aries – Day 498

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Signs of Spring – Photo: L. Weikel

New Moon in Aries

In just a couple of hours the moon will be dark, obscured from our sight because it won’t be reflecting any of the light of the sun. Technically, we’ll be experiencing a new moon in Aries.

As I’ve mentioned in other posts, the new moon is a particularly fertile time to plant the seeds of ideas, intentions, or commitments we want to set into motion in our lives. One way of looking at it is to think of the dark moon as representing rich, dark, fertile soil that’s a perfect medium for nurturing life and growth. So it is a perfect time to plant those aspirations we hold for the coming days, weeks, and quite possibly beyond.

It’s interesting to read how interpretations of the particular alignment of the planets and moon reflect the challenges we’re being called to face in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. (Because this is a new moon, the sun and moon are ‘conjunct,’ or sitting at the same degree in the same sign. Thus, as you probably realize, the sun is also in Aries, having entered that sign at the equinox, which took place on March 19th this year.) Chani gives a thought-provoking description of the aspects influencing this particular new moon, and how these influences speak directly to our current experiences here.

Introspection and Hard Questions

As I’ve mentioned a number of times lately, this self-isolation we’re being urged to do (or in more and more cases, ordered to engage in via so-called ‘stay-at-home’ orders) is an unprecedented opportunity to take a deep dive into figuring out who we are and what we value at our core. It’s a chance for us to reflect on the choices we’ve made in our lives. And it quite possibly is a time in which we contemplate making new choices.

It occurs to me as I write this that we are seeing the stark truth of this reflection on what we truly value play out right in front of us on the national stage. Will we choose to continue to self-isolate if we think we may have been exposed to the virus (or simply to avoid the possibility of exposure or being exposed)? Will we choose to withdraw from social interaction and physical contact in order to protect each other and ourselves? Or will we decide that ‘getting back to work’ is more important than the very real possibility of saving lives?

As many are pointing out, a ‘dead’ economy can be revived. A dead person cannot.

Choosing Our Values

In signaling today that we may be urged to ‘return to work’ next week if we have no symptoms (the ostensible end of the 15 days of social distancing begrudgingly advocated by the federal government), we are being given a clear indication on the macro level of just what is of most value to our so-called ‘leaders.’ Indeed, I saw a clip just this evening of the Lt. Governor of Texas saying that grandparents would be happy to give their lives to provide a healthy economy to their grandchildren.

That’s an utterly absurd and appalling ‘choice’ for our government to be suggesting we make. And it’s not even true. (Surprise.) Choosing to knowingly risk even greater spread of this virus would only serve to kill more people and crash our economy even further. It would be the height of cratered and craven values.

But Here We Are

What seeds do you want to plant today? Where do your deepest values reside? What is most precious to you and how do you intend to express your devotion to it/them?

This is where we find ourselves. Our current way of living is unsustainable – on so many levels.

But we can do this. We can make the choices that will enable love, caring, and compassion to flourish. If that’s what really matters to each of us.

Crocus – Photo: L. Weikel

 

(T-613)

Initiation – Day 491

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Tree Gnome/Wisdomkeeper – Photo: L. Weikel

Initiation

We are entering a time in our evolution, as humans, in which we are facing some fundamental, existential choices. And this ‘time’ that we’re entering is not some epoch or age, some grander than our mortal lives massive measurement of time. No. We are in the initiation. The existential questions are being asked now. Right now. Right in the midst of our tiny, very tangible and measurable lifetimes.

I’ve mentioned before as this pandemic started looming on the horizon (before it was even characterized as a pandemic) that I sensed some major shifts in our reality coming toward us. Shifts that make us realize that the course we’ve been following not only is unsustainable but has hit a wall. Shifts that tell us, “Nothing is going to be the same.”

Self-Inflicted 9/11

In some ways, we might look upon what’s happening as a self-inflicted 9/11. When the United States was attacked by those three hijackings that gorgeous, azure-skied September morning, and we watched the twin towers crumble before our eyes, we knew instinctively that nothing would ever be the same.

And yet…in many ways, we humans resumed our blind and tone-deaf ways. While the world stood with all of us in the U.S. in the days and weeks following 9/11, eventually we – our government, our leaders – turned those events into the perfect justification to not only continue on our selfish, unsustainable path of war and greed and abuse of power, but to double down on it.

Greed Unchecked

Indeed, our selfishness and greed roared back to life, seatbelts or restraints on behavior that could easily get out of hand were removed. Everyone in the U.S. celebrated the amazing recovery we were enjoying, not a little bit funded by the seemingly never-ended wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, neither of which had anything to do with the 9/11 attacks, which supposedly justified them in the first place.

And then the 2008 financial debacle happened.

That, too, was going to change everything.

It didn’t.

Not only didn’t our over-consumptive, unsustainable, greedy ways continue. No, we flouted the existence of climate change. We pursued fracking here in the United States, a process of injecting unbelievably toxic materials into Mother Earth all in the pursuit, not only of unsustainable energy to burn but also money to burn. Climate effects be damned.

Out of Balance

All of these opportunities to make choices on how we are going to proceed in our evolution (or not), have resulted in us making choices that have caused us to grow more and more out of balance with everything else on this planet, including the planet herself.

The virus we’re facing right now is ravaging our species – all over the world, without care of nationality, skin color, religious affiliation, sexual orientation – because we have no natural immunity to it. And because we’ve lied to ourselves and willingly swallowed the lies being told to us. In order to deal with all of this, without losing massive numbers of our own, we must work together.

So far, our reaction, the reaction of the United States, has been barreling along on the trajectory we seem to have been following for many years, but most especially since entering this century.

We can still turn this around. But we need to do it now. We need to take to heart this dramatic, unprecedented challenge to what we think of as our lives and our societies and make some drastically different choices.

A Wonderful Perspective

I recommend this lovely thought-provoking piece as a completely different way of looking at what we’re experiencing right now. I, for one, would love to continue reflecting upon the questions posed here as the days, weeks, and months of this new life of ours unfolds.

Let’s reflect together.

Hopefully where we’re headed – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-620)