Life: An Eternal Return
The word gift means n. present in English; it means n. poison in German. There is much to be said about such opposites. The cliche that one man's poison is another man's cure carries an important lesson. This double-sided dynamic operates deep in the vortex that spins new life. A member of Congress shot and on life support in a hospital opens an opportunity for the President to deliver what is arguably the defining speech of his career.
There are countless historic as well as current examples of this dynamic. Another is from the December 2000 issue of Discover magazine:
Now listen to how the deaths of these unfortunate snow geese by poison sparked evolution and its gifts. (The editing of this audio is questionable, but the information is truly astounding).
What can we learn from this? Maybe that death itself is only another word for life.
So with every disaster, every tragedy, every death, something new emerges. If we could only learn to see this clearly we would begin to understand how life is truly eternal.
For all things change, making way for each other.-- Euripides, Heracles
There are countless historic as well as current examples of this dynamic. Another is from the December 2000 issue of Discover magazine:
Pity the snow geese that settled on Lake Berkeley as a stopover one stormy night in November 1995. The vast lake, covering almost 700 acres of a former open-pit copper mine in Butte, Montana, holds some 30 billion gallons of highly acidic, metal-laden water— scarcely a suitable refuge for migrating birds stalled by harsh weather. So when the flock rose up and turned southward the following morning, almost 350 carcasses were left behind. Autopsies showed their insides were lined with burns and festering sores from exposure to high concentrations of copper, cadmium, and arsenic.
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| Snow Goose |
What can we learn from this? Maybe that death itself is only another word for life.
So with every disaster, every tragedy, every death, something new emerges. If we could only learn to see this clearly we would begin to understand how life is truly eternal.
For all things change, making way for each other.-- Euripides, Heracles
Sustainability Isn't an Option
The middle class in America is now an endangered species. Only one out of the five adults in my family is now employed, and that person (a tree trimmer) isn't working either in the depth of winter. We will join the 99-ers this coming Fall. None of us can afford private health insurance, and since we aren't working we face homelessness should any of us become injured or ill. We go without dental and vision care, yearly medical checkups, and other luxuries only available to the entitled class (politicians, attorneys, CEOs and the like). On the other hand, I'm frankly horrified at the toxic state of the so-called health care industry, its cavalier practices and its toxic pharmaceuticals, so even if there were a public option, I'd only feel comfortable seeing alternative health practitioners.
Since I left my parents' house I've been poor and unemployable because health issues wiped out the "experience" section of my resume. I'm now on the brink of being another disposable human being in America. I co-owned a house from 1999 to 2006. Before and after that I've lived in worn-out rentals. I've lived in campers and closets. I've slept in gas station rest rooms.
These days I try to buy healthy food for my family, which leads me to high-end stores where local organic produce is featured and the entitled have the best of everything because they can afford it. It's true, only the wealthy can pamper themselves with "sustainable" options.
The Mr. and I save and re-use water. We are vegetarians and every year I expand our small garden. We are slowly incorporating public transport. Sustainability isn't an option for us. It's becoming a necessity in our lives.
Jill Richardson, writing for Alternet, takes a look at Chiapas, Mexico and so-called "Latin America" in her article Do we have to live like peasants to be truly sustainable?
Since I left my parents' house I've been poor and unemployable because health issues wiped out the "experience" section of my resume. I'm now on the brink of being another disposable human being in America. I co-owned a house from 1999 to 2006. Before and after that I've lived in worn-out rentals. I've lived in campers and closets. I've slept in gas station rest rooms.
These days I try to buy healthy food for my family, which leads me to high-end stores where local organic produce is featured and the entitled have the best of everything because they can afford it. It's true, only the wealthy can pamper themselves with "sustainable" options.
The Mr. and I save and re-use water. We are vegetarians and every year I expand our small garden. We are slowly incorporating public transport. Sustainability isn't an option for us. It's becoming a necessity in our lives.
Jill Richardson, writing for Alternet, takes a look at Chiapas, Mexico and so-called "Latin America" in her article Do we have to live like peasants to be truly sustainable?
...there's a happy medium somewhere between living as a poor peasant in an adobe hut and living in a McMansion while driving a Hummer. But where is that happy medium? Is my "sustainable" life in the U.S. just an illusion? Am I merely a Whole Foods-shopping, yoga mat-toting, latte-drinking, Prius-driving yuppie? I want to be sustainable, but I also don't want to give up my car, laptop or the pharmaceuticals I take daily to prevent debilitating migraines. Is that possible?She does seem to represent the "yuppie" contingent as she looks worriedly over a gaping economic chasm that my family has struggled in for decades. All I can say, Jill, is welcome to my world.
Spikenard
Herbal esoterica (from Wikipedia):
Oil of spikenard is not used as widely as that of its many valerian and erectile relatives. Spikenard is still used in many Tibetan healing incenses. Is used in the herbal medicine of Tibet and the rest of China as a nerve tonic and sedative for sleep disorders a property it shares with the closely related valerian Valeriana officinalis. Spikenard is known as a healing oil and is grown in India and China. The essential oil is obtained through steam distillation and it is a base note with an earthy/musty scent. Physically Spikenard essential oil is used as a diuretic, useful for rashes and skin allergies, it is anti-fungal and has a balancing effect on the menstrual cycle. Emotionally this oil is reserved for deep seated grief or old pain. It is used in palliative care to help ease the transition from life to death.
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| Spikenard |
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