November 2020 Election - What’s Wrong With Us?

My husband and I turned off the news on election night and I became very calm and clear. Bob kept saying, this is the United States - what’s wrong with us?

I believe it is all about our culture that has become completely greed-driven and “I want it NOW.” We are an instant gratification, spoon-fed society. Anything arrives at our door within hours. We live with mindless reality TV shows and a pop culture that lacks any critical thinking or a trace of spirituality. We skim our devices, searching for tidbits of information or recognition, hoping for the next empty hit. But nothing satisfies. We wonder, “why are we so divided, why can’t we understand the other person’s perspective?” We ask without compassion or patience while still expecting and demanding stability in our society and government.

Our society, our culture, ourselves are all broken. Do we even realize it?

In times like this, life teaches us hard lessons. It takes away so that we may see all that we once had. It is one of the most difficult lessons and that is the point. Darkness settles in before the Light can return. 

I think this darkness has begun. Look at the extremist leaders appearing in different countries, including ours. With this leadership, no country can remain intact nor will the people. Pandemics, climate change, hurricanes, fires, droughts, economic disparity, economic hardship and racism - everything that creates division has come and will remain. What will be left, only time will tell. But those that survive might remember days that were richer and kinder by far and much more compassionate. And if we do remember, perhaps we will be able to start again. 

This sounds dire, but we are all in trouble. The pandemic has tried to wake us all up and look how most of us have responded. I just hope that the world can change in time for all of us to be able to enjoy it again.

Hug your loved ones, reach out to your friends and neighbors and help your community. Think about how you want to spend the remaining days of your life in this moment we are living. Bring courage as your weapon and hope as a guide for your survival. It’s going to be a long, dark period but I trust that we will return to brighter days.

- Diane

FLY AWAY DEAR ONE

Escaping the rumbling roar of unease,
I take refuge in the golden,
ever-changing landscape
of autumn.
Her beauty whispers…
fly away dear one - fly away.

A MIRACLE

My thoughts while visiting a favorite pond during the early days of Covid-19…

There is complete silence with the exception of an occasional caw of the crow and a squawk from a scrub jay. No overhead planes, no motors, no man made noise - the absence of it all is absolutely exquisite. 

What must the animals imagine as their natural habitats return? Do they now wonder if their ever-so-quiet new worlds will remain? 

I wonder and I worry. I’d like to tell the soil, the plants, the trees, the sky and all the earth’s creatures that we have finally come to our senses. That we too have returned to a more gentle, natural existence. But I know this is not so.  As soon as we can, we will all return to a frantic pace, distancing ourselves not from each other but from the silence that longs for our daily presence. 

I will return to this pond soon and perhaps find myself solitary and in silence again. I hope so. But for now in this mystical moment, I stop and cherish the beauty before me and say “thank you” for this brief time when the entire world literally stopped moving. This silent, serene moment is nothing short of a miracle!

VULTURE'S BAIT

No more shelter in place?
Yay! Let’s all embrace!

NO!

Don’t take the vulture’s bait,
it will NOT be great.

Trump and his cronies are insane,
break the insidious chain.

Stay safe inside,
let time abide.

We will be OK,
do it the human way.

United & strong,
we won’t go wrong.

-Diane

A THUNDERCLAP

For several years now, I have repeated in exasperation: We can’t continue on this path of greed and destruction of the natural landscape. It is unsustainable. We need to STOP this. We need a thunderclap!

The other morning, my husband looked at me and said, “Well, Diane, you got your thunderclap.”

I winced. I certainly didn’t want this - a highly contagious virus spreading death and upheaval and immense sorrow around the world.  What I did want was climate change to be recognized and greed to stop and more compassion, tolerance and kindness shared among ALL of us. 

But here we are in this very troubling time. I find myself in disbelief and grief. I passionately plead to family and friends to be safe and just stay home. I readily admit, I am scared for all of us.

We are living in a crisis. But all crisis’ can provide deep insight into ourselves and our society if we take the time to reflect upon them. But will we? Will we take personal time to wonder why this virus showed up, why there was a pandemic and why so many had to die? Will we ask why so many recent floods and fires? Will we ask ourselves the very difficult question: Are we or any of our actions responsible for it? 

I believe we will have the chance to change our ways and make this a better world if we choose to, but will we? I don’t have the answers to my own questions but as David Quammen said in his interview with Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee in the podcast, Shaking the Viral Tree, I am hopeful.

I encourage all of you to listen to this podcast. It is not only scientifically informative but also insightful about how we have landed in this pandemic and what we can do to help prevent more of them. 

In these sad, scary times, I remain HOPEFUL! Be well everyone, stay safe and LOVE each other.

- Diane