“Nature is always lovely, invincible, glad, whatever is done and suffered by her creatures. All scars she heals, whether in rocks or water or sky or hearts.”
— John Muir
Some inspiration from nature
Category Archives: Nature
Historic time
There is no doubt, we are living through a historic moment in time and our whole way of being in the world is being challenged because of COVID-19. Some people have already lost their lives and we are all struggling to find order in the midst of the anxiety-producing situation at hand. May we remember that kindness is a gift we can all afford to give and that nature is and can be a balm to our souls.
Ann Frank, a young Jewish girl who was forced into hiding for two years during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, said it well, “The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely, or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature.”
On Fire
Australia started the beginning of 2020 on fire. I saw horrific photos of kangaroos badly injured or burned to death. The number of animals that have died is approximately 1 billion, and this is on top of the animals who were lost in Australian bushfires in 2019! This is more animals than the population of humans in the United States. Entire species are thought to have been wiped out. Okay, folks, things have to change and we have to reduce our carbon footprints quickly!!! There is absolutely no time to lose. We all want to be loved, to be happy and to be safe. Animals do too. Climate change is contributing to the fires. Above is a photo of a burned koala bear. Work to save Earth’s inhabitants now!
Please donate to the World Wildlife Fund, WWF: https://donate.wwf.org.au/donate/appeals/emergency-fund/wildfires-appeal-2019-2#gs.qhbolu
Human Society International, HSI: https://donate.hsi.org/page/36521/donate/1?&ea.tracking.id=artm-ausfire-20-website&_ga=2.26927807.382743097.1579567943-1976509624.1579567943
International Fund for Animal Welfare, IFAW: https://secure.ifaw.org/united-states/save-wildlife-australia-bushfires
Thank you!
Inspiring Couple
I thought it would be time for some good news, something inspiring and hopeful. I recently read about a Brazilian man and his wife who planted over 4 million trees to replant 1,502 acres of forest! It was so good to hear about someone doing beneficial for the planet, instead of destroying it. It took Sebastiao Salgado, Lelia Deluiz, and more than 24 workers about twenty years to do so and the results have been amazing. An area which was barren is now flourishing with 172 species of birds, 33 species of mammals, 293 species of plants, 15 reptile species and 15 reptile species. And there are now 8 natural springs which had previously dried up, hydrating a drought prone area. When humans work with Mother Nature, creation and rejuvenation spring eternal.
Tofu versus Wildlife?
New work, led by Professor Ron Milo, and published in the “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences” stated that the world’s population of 7.6 billion people represents just .01% of all living things. Plants, on the other hand, make up 82% of all living matter and bacteria makes up 13% of all living matter.
Part of the problem lies with the way we eat. Of all the mammals on Earth, 96% are livestock and humans, only 4% are wild mammals. That means that tropical forests and wild spaces are disappearing, at great cost to everyone.
Despite these numbers, we have had a huge impact on the natural world and have been expert at exploiting the natural resources of the planet. Since the rise of human civilization, 83% of wild mammals have been lost, 80% of marine mammals have been lost, 50% of plants have been lost and 15% of fish have been lost. One way you can make a difference is by eating differently. Your dietary choices have a tremendous effect on the habitats of plants and animals. So, choose a tofu burger instead of that hamburger. Or try a vegan hotdog instead of a regular one. They are better for the planet, and your health.
Some Inspiration on this April Day
THE PEACE OF WILD THINGS
When despair for the world grows in me
And I wake in the night at the least sound
In fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presences of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
–Wendell Berry
Learn How to Connect With Nature
Here is a great way to connect with nature. Stephan Harding teaches you how to do so in just 2 minutes.
This New Year
As we enter this new year may we enter it with grace and courage. And may we enter it in good health and with hearts full of compassion. So much has changed and happened in these last months and years. I see it in myself, I see it in others, I see it in the world, and I see it in nature. This much is obvious, change spares no one or no thing.
My vision is that we come together to mend our differences and see things through another person’s eyes. My vision is that we treat each other with kindness and without cruelty. My vision is that we all live in peace and without violence. Greater it is to uplift one another rather than tear one another apart. Climate change and the destruction of nature and its precious habitat is one of our supreme challenges. We can mitigate climate change, preserve nature and protect the amazing animal kingdom. Yet we must come to terms with our own selfishness and greed.
Let us be better than we were. Let us be lights for all of the children and animals of the world. Let us go forth together, and in goodness.
Go See this New Film
SEASONS
After traveling the world alongside migrating birds (Winged Migration) and diving the oceans with whales and manta rays (Oceans), Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud return to more familiar ground: the lush green forests and megafauna that emerged across Europe following the last Ice Age.
Winter had gone on for 80,000 years when—in a relatively short period of time—the ice retreated, the landscape metamorphosed, the cycle of seasons was established, and the beasts occupied their new kingdom. It was only later that man arrived to share this habitat, first tentatively as migratory hunter/gatherers, then making inroads in the forest as settled agriculturalists, and later more dramatically via industry and warfare.
With its exceptional footage of animals in the wild, Seasons is the awe-inspiring and thought-provoking tale of the long and tumultuous shared history that inextricably binds humankind with the natural world.
Director: Jacques Perrin & Jacques Cluzaud
A Child’s Delight
This past week I had the honor to be the object of a child’s wonder and delight. I remember, I was sitting outside having lunch with a colleague. It was a beautiful, sunny day with a clear blue sky and the temperature was about 75 degrees. A group of four to five-year old children had just gone swimming and they passed our table. I saw them and asked, “how was your swim?”. A little Asian girl with big brown eyes looked straight at me and said, “Great!”. She then blurted, “Wow, you work there!”. I was not quite sure how she had figured out where I was working but I was not surprised.
Children have an innate knowledge and trust their feelings. They also have an amazing ability to touch us and keep us on track. They remind us to be present and mindful. And children inspire us to take good care of one another and the natural world. We live in incredible times. Let us protect our children, and the planet, and treat them well.