Just a few ideas to pursue today.
First from Albert Einstein:
“If the bee disappears from the
surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live.”
A lot has been written lately about the disappearance of
large numbers of bees. Biologists are beginning to piece together the reasons.
Evidently a virus has killed vast numbers of bees in recent years. Whether this
will wipe out the entire bee population of the planet is unknown. Probably not.
But it is worth noting the work bees do for all life on Earth. They pollinate
plants. Things grow and mature. Fruits come to maturity. Food crops mature to
harvest. Billions of people are fed because of their work. Mostly unseen work.
So too is plant life regenerated. Food for animals, insects
and birds. Life continues its trajectory in time and place. All because of
bees.
Protecting the planet is about this issue. Protecting bees
and every living thing is our job. Mankind has a duty. Best we not forget that!
An anonymous item from the internet gathered this jewel:
“Overheard at a grocery store by
someone waiting in line behind a woman speaking on her cellphone in another
language. Ahead of her was a white man. After the woman hangs up, he speaks up.
Man: ‘I didn't want to say
anything while you were on the phone, but you’re in America
Woman: ‘Excuse me?’
Man: (very slowly) ‘If you want
to speak Mexican, go back to Mexico America
Woman: ‘Sir, I was speaking
Navajo. If you want to speak English, go back to England
What could I possibly write to improve on that? We need to
check our prejudices frequently to make certain we aren’t making stupid
assumptions. We all make assumptions. Not all are stupid. Many are, however,
and we need to remind ourselves of that simple fact.
A conservative Facebook page
(ConservativesExposingLiberalLies) posted this item the other day:
“Generations of children watched
gun violence every Saturday morning. They didn't shoot up their schools. What changed?”
Their supposed message is that gun violence in real life
didn't come from exposures to cartoons on TV.
Whether that is a valid conclusion is in question. But they asked ‘what
changed?’ I’ll offer this simple thought: Rules of civility changed. Political
discourse became quite ugly and parents surrounding children of all ages became
quite testy about their opinions. The kids learned. They are now upset. They
have guns widely available to them. Schools are not now as safe as they once
were. Why? Because our social safety network is frayed in basic places. People
now act up. With deadly consequences.
What to do about it? Talk about it for one. Do not
politicize it for another. Seek solutions to the problem as well. Maybe
consider restricting the availability of guns? At least consider it?
To wrap up this
posting today, I share this thought from Sue Fitzmaurice:
“Every
time you find some humour in a difficult situation, you win.”
Good thought to end with. Enough said?
January 27, 2014
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