As many of you know, we live in interesting times. In the United States, and in Europe, there are deep divisions in society and people are either strongly against or strongly for certain politicians. Nationalism, anger, fear, and distrust are evident and so is great despair. Yet there is also courage being shown by numerous women and men, and a sense of faith that we can heal the rifts which divide us.
Let us come together. Let us not be torn apart by hated. We need to protect and harbor one another. We also need to protect our air, our land, our water and our wildlife. Let us not be distracted by illusion and destruction. Let us hold steadfast in this critical time. Let us stand up for justice and peace. Let us protect this beautiful Earth and all of its inhabitants.
May you be reminded of each person’s and each animal’s uniqueness as you look at the photo of these two booty birds with their blue feet. Let your voice be heard today. There is courage and consequence even in the smallest positive action. I believe in a livable future for our children and the animals of this world. I believe in positive change. And I believe in you.
I just watched a beautiful television program (link below) about the life of Rachel Carson. Carson was born in 1907 and died in 1964. She was a marine biologist, conservationist and gifted writer who is credited with advancing the environmental movement. Her books, “The Sea Around Us”, “The Edge of the Sea” and “The Silent Spring” inspire us with their beauty, courage and insight. She wrote, “To understand the shore, it is not enough to catalog its life. Understanding comes only when, standing on a beach, we can sense the long rhythms of earth and sea that sculptured its land-forms and produced the rock and sand of which it is composed; when we can sense with the eye and ear of the mind the surge of life beating always at its shores – blindly, inexorably pressing for a foothold. ”
Election day in the United States will soon be here, in fact it is on Tuesday. As I have said so many times before, your actions and your voice matter. You have a choice to cast your ballot or not. If you say it does not matter, think of your children, nieces or nephews, or the animal kingdom. Imagine what they would say to you 10 years down the line if the wrong presidential candidate goes into office. What if they say you did not care to think about their future?
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.