A Value is a Verb: Four short musings

I. Space and Time

He sat reading a newspaper.

He sat reading a newspaper in a park, under a tree, during the day, in the wonderfully warm sunlight, with a refreshing breeze blowing perfectly out of the east.  

He noticed none of it. 

He sat under a tree, in this most beautiful spot, at this most pleasant moment and, for him, they did not exist.  

He was elsewhere; consumed in thought.

His mind wandered randomly and rapidly—frustrations with personal matters large and small; anger at local, state and federal politicians for this and that; tearful sadness as he recalled the article about a cancer patient’s triumphs and succumbing. Now he salivates thinking about the recipe from last Sunday's edition-- Was it braised fennel and garlic?

He was anywhere but where he was.

If he were present, he would have noticed things: the tree, sun, and breeze; the blue blue sky; the green green grass, and the bloom of bright yellow flowers at his feet.

If he had been present, he would have been delighted and appreciative of the profound nature of this moment in space and time.  

Instead, the world was immaterial... a simple backdrop to his wandering thoughts.

II. Sad Paradox

Perhaps the greatest difference between humans and other animals is this:  They live in the world and we live in our minds. They see and experience what is around them and we live in a world morphed by beliefs and desires. 

We are a paradox to our individual and collective vitality and viability. We can imagine the heavens and be god-like in our actions... creating things that rival Nature’s most awe-inspiring:  Great Cities to compare to Mountains and Canyons; Great Art to compare to Rainbows and Sunsets; Great Music to compare to the Boom of Thunder, the Crash of Waves, and the Silence of Mountains, Canyons, Prairies, and Deserts.  Yet we have the propensity to undermine our future for petty things.  Sadly, and too often, we see the world in immediate self-serving opportunities rather than ecologically and community-minded needs. More than unfortunate, this is dangerous.

III. We Treat Nature Like Dirt

The philosopher and mountaineer Willie Unsold noted during a speech to an assembly of outdoor educators that we, humans, “treat the earth like dirt.”  

Not good dirt, such as the soft, pungent and life affirming loam of deep forests; not the good earth of gardens and farms, nor the parched, barren, and magical lands of deserts.

Rather… bad dirt. Dirt we treat with distain—sweep under the carpet, ignore, overlook, or abuse.

Paradoxically, we use nature to symbolize great virtues, in turn implying we hold it in great value; yet, we attribute little value to it by our public policies and practices.

We celebrate and pay homage to Nature's grandeur in moments of national pride yet, with little hesitation, sacrifice its integrity for monetary gain.  It is often used to symbolize our spiritual and patriotic identity and, as the eagle soars on a screen, and pride wells up within the cheering crowd, and tears form in our collective eyes, we paradoxically use it as the dumping ground for waste. We revere it in words yet denigrate it in practice.  A value is a verb.

Ignorance and greed and hubris sow the seeds of our destruction, poisoning our air and water; the air we and our children breathe—the water we and our children drink.

IV.  What to Do?

I’m not sure what to do, exactly.  I will vote during every election; I will make donations to worthy nonprofits, I will let my thoughts be known and, through word and deed, I will add kindness and compassion to the world.

As I wonder what more I can do, my gaze turns from this page and I see a black-capped chickadee perched on the red maple outside my window.  The sky is blue blue and, high above, white white clouds punctuate the moment.


MSS
September, 2018