I was going to write a long, moody post about how I've been so down lately about the state of the world we live in, the path of destruction we're on, and whether anyone can make a difference. I just finished reading
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. My review in a nutshell: this book is IMPORTANT. Of course for many of you who hang out here and other related blogs, the message it contains will be familiar, but it's the thought process and development of that message that makes this book convincing. I liked that it did not conclude with a sense of gloom and doom and powerlessness, but rather a message of hope: there is another path we can take, and it's not too late.
Up with the Leavers!But when human society gets me down, I look to nature for solace. Where I live, that means I don't have to look too far. Sometimes it even finds me as I am on my way from one place to another. For the past few days, eagles and ravens have been hanging around a road killed deer. I saw this one two days ago on my way home:
I'm pretty sure this is the same one I saw again this morning, looking majestic in the sunlight.
It took flight after this photo was taken, and as I was trying to follow its flight on my camera screen, another eagle, a juvenile, appeared.
I wonder how things look from their point of view.
8 comments:
Ironic that the eagle, the symbol of our nation, is soon to come off the endangered species list, and yet the nation itself (or certain leaders) seems intent of hauling in the short term gain but losing it all in the long term.
I spend alot of time in the same place you are, and it doesn't seem right, but when I get really down about the way the world is (compared to my utopian dream) I end up not caring at all. I focus more on my own footprint, and my own homestead and have trouble seeing beyond that. Those eagles must have been a site to behold.l
It's been a while since I read Ishmael.
the eagles are lovely, what a nice place to live
It's tough not to worry when you have kids, and yet it has never been a safe planet. Every generation inherits a wild and wooly violent Earth. It's probably tougher on our peace of mind living in the information age. There's not a speck of bad news anywhere on the planet that doesn't come right into our homes via electronic media.
The good, and I believe there is more of it, isn't news and doesn't always get delivered.
Nice. You are luck to see these magestic birds. We saw a young one once here in Vermont but nothing as dazzling.
I'm more than half way through Ishmael and really finding it quite interesting. Like you said, it's not anything I haven't thought about before, but how it's presented is so novel and provocative.
I always find some solace in the presence of wild things. It's great to see eagles. They do have such eloquent presence.
I agree with the notion the world has never been a safe place. There have been swings between good times and bad, but now it just seems that the bad (global climate change, peak oil, GM foods, water privitization, pollution, trade deficits, etc.) is being compounded. The electronic media does bring these issues into our homes in a way like never before, but it also seems like there is more to worry about in these modern times, as most humans seem content to sacrifice everything in the quest for a high consumption lifestyle.
it's incredible to me that you could just see an eagle when you're out and about. how wonderful.
re: ishmael, i read it years ago and i don't remember much about it. based on your enthusiasm, i'm inclined to read it again.
thanks also for the wendell berry quote you posted on earth home garden. i don't know that one, but it does something for me.
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