Swan Sanctuary

Tigers in India, like our American buffalo and many keystone species, have endured mass slaughtering by humans. During the mid-1900s there were nearly 40,000 tigers in India; but as the human population grew and deforestation, loss of habitat, and poaching caused tiger populations to dwindle, there were less than two thousand remaining, a mere 25 years later. Fortunately, Indira Gandhi created a wildlife protection act in 1972 providing almost 30 tiger reserves. Unfortunately; however, many of the reserves are butted up next to human populations and a few humans have fallen victim to the tigers.

One male, T24, had been blamed for four deaths. He was removed from the reserve, leaving his mate and two offspring to survive without him. The female, unable to find her partner, grieved for a long period of time. In the end, another male moved into his territory and the female had no choice but to give in to the new dominant male. T24 was placed in a small enclosure, which was nothing more than a large cage. He began to suffer from intestinal problems, from the lack of exercise and having to accept whatever meat was provided for him. They operated to remove the blockage in his intestines, but the problem kept recurring, obviously, because they did nothing to eliminate the cause. Many of the citizens have protested, pleading for the animal to be freed and returned to the reserve; but he remains a prisoner.

A very wise man said, in the documentary in which I had learned about T24, that we should let Nature take its course. This is the same advice I give to those who call me about injured swans and other birds. He believed that what had turned T24 into a killer was when he had been captured and treated for a splinter in his paw. The anesthesia had worn off before they were finished and the tiger had run away. The tiger’s foot may have become infected and he might have died; but that was for Nature to decide. The man believed it was this human interference  that turned the tiger into a “killer.” Based on the cruel and sadistic ways in which humans have treated other animals, it is no wonder that more of them do not hate us. 

I will never understand this compulsion that so many people have, to control others, be it other species, or our own. We place animals in cages, in zoos, tie them to stakes, and lead them around by the neck on leashes. The wings of birds are often clipped to prevent them from flying away. When animals do not obey the humans’ wishes, they are often beaten. They are neglected and treated as though they were inanimate objects. More often than not, caged animals and pets become ill as they are prevented from living in the company of their own species and they are denied the ability to hunt or forage for their own food. In the case of those acquired through the illegal pet trade, most will die. 

It is unnatural for any species to be confined. We even confine our prisoners, who also suffer from illnesses. The lack of exercise and sunshine, combined with poor quality food, leaves many of them in an unhealthy condition. There was a time when prisoners were made to do hard labor. Perhaps, they were better off than the prisoners of today, who often do not see the light of day. They are “pampered” with television and sedated with pharmaceutical drugs to keep them subdued. 

The Bengal tiger of India is one of the most beautiful animals on the planet; but like so many other species, we have brought them to near extinction. Human life is valued above all other life. After the killings in India, large groups of men descended on the reserve to retrieve the bodies of the victims so that they could be buried. Personally, I would gladly give up my own life for such an animal. Let it consume me and do not waste precious ground to bury me, or have me wastefully cremated. On those rare occasions when a bear, or a lion, or a tiger attacks a human being, revenge is foremost on peoples’ minds. Those who hate these animals refuse to see that they have the same intelligence, feelings, and emotions that we have. Often, our compassion for an animal is misplaced. We believe that we must intervene, interfere, and “save” the animal; but this is not Nature’s way. I hope the day will come when we will learn collectively, to accept, to allow, and to stop interfering with the balance that Nature had already created before we arrived.

In reality, every day is the day after – after the previous day. The day after a big event; however, can be especially peaceful and contemplative. It reminds me of the feeling you can get after finishing a really good novel. Or, the relief and satisfaction you feel when you have finally finished a particularly momentous task. My several days of preparation for yesterday’s Thanksgiving meal were well rewarded. Most of my family members had to make a three hour road trip and we were all nervous about the pending snowstorm. Many of them had to be at work early this morning, so becoming snowbound was not in their plans. I simply declared that it would all work out as it was meant to.

I sometimes like to observe my life from a slight distance and marvel at the synchronicities and harmony with which events unfold, when I do not try to control outcomes. It seems to make no difference if it is small, inconsequential things, or large, looming challenges. When I simply let go of expectations and allow my higher self to guide me, life flows smoothly and tiny miracles are an everyday occurrence. Yesterday was a day like that and while many might consider it just plain luck, I know better. 

The day began with what could have turned into a horrifying disaster. I was just stepping out of the shower when I heard my daughter scream. She was lying in her bed and her German Shepherd was crawling under it, where she likes to sleep. My daughter suddenly saw flames coming from the outlet where her phone charger was plugged in. Fortunately, she got the fire out and there was no issue with the outlet. Apparently, cheap phone chargers from the dollar store are notorious for bursting into flames. I told her our guardian angels were watching over us.

The turkey and pies and stuffing and gravy and all the food was done to perfection, all at the right time, and the family all arrived on time as well. We had a wonderful meal and the snow held off. They had to leave shortly after, which made me sad; but they all arrived safely back at their own homes before the snow got bad. Today, all is back to peace and quiet and the outdoors is blanketed in snow. It is the day after and a day to be thankful once again.

There is always so much hype in the media about prolonging one’s life. Do this, don’t do that, eat this, don’t eat that, stop doing this, start doing that – all promising better health. People are sucked in by advertisements flashing across the screen of their devices. They want to believe that a miracle cure or drug will save them, or that it will extend their life by decades. They are hoping for a day in the future when their challenges will have dissolved and their lives will be perfect.

Billions of dollars are spent seeking a “cure for cancer.” That cure does not exist and it never will. These people do not understand that all disease begins in the mind, regardless of its origin. Sure, we have degraded our soil, our air, our water, and our food. There are millions of poisons and plastics floating around in our world, and in our bodies, that contribute to compromised immune systems and poor health. The approach by scientists is always to create some magical pill or treatment, or to slice open bodies as though they were merely chopping veggies for a salad. They genetically modify genes and seeds, grow living things in test tubes, replace body parts with that of other humans and other species, and even with foreign materials. 

One day humans will come to understand how primitive and barbaric these practices are. We will realize that the future never arrives because all we ever have is this moment. We will not concern ourselves with prolonging “our” life because we will understand that we are part of all LIFE, which is infinite and eternal. We will, rather than trying to “cure” disease, begin to eliminate the external causes. We will learn to respect Nature, to grow food organically and sustainably; and we will cease the use of poisons altogether. We will begin to care for Earth, for its water, its air, and its soil. We will protect its plants and its animals – and we will care for, rather than fight, each other. We will become the true guardians of our planet. We will no longer engage in toxic thinking, which feeds disease organisms. As we shift from taking, to giving, from violence to peace, disease will naturally be eliminated. We will no longer have the need to look for cures because we will no longer have the presence of disease. We will have finally learned to live in balance.

Scientists have learned much in the past century about our planet. They have been able to determine its approximate age and gleaned much of its history. Millions of life forms have evolved and later been lost to extinction. Our Earth has undergone 5 mass extinctions precipitated by freezing, flooding, volcanic activity, chemical changes in the atmosphere, and the most recent one, by an asteroid from outer space colliding into it. 

Life; however, is unstoppable. A very small percentage of life forms managed to survive the extinctions and begin again. The first extinction took place 440 million years ago. The most recent extinction was just 60 million years ago. Humans have inhabited the planet for a mere half million years. In just the past 50 years, we have altered the planet so drastically as to set us directly on the path for a 6th extinction. 

Our planet, according to scientists, is about 4 ½ BILLION years old. This is hard for most of us to wrap our heads around. Even the 4 ½ MILLION years since the first mass extinction is difficult to comprehend. When I contemplate my own life, a teeny, tiny spec in relationship with the whole of life, I realize more than ever my insignificance – all of our insignificance. Itty bitty microbial life, microscopic sized insects, snowflakes, grains of sand, also appear as nothing compared to the scheme of life. And yet, we are all a piece of the entire tapestry. We are nothing, but we are everything. We are not vital, but we are one of billions, maybe trillions of life forms that make up the whole. It is the great diversity that makes up the community. It is from community, not individuality, that great accomplishments are realized. Our lives themselves are of little importance. It is how we choose to live each moment that truly matters.

I cannot help wondering why I have landed in this place that is so resistant to anything the locals view as a threat to their cowboy mentality. The lifeless soil that is quickly losing its ability to escape desertification, is blown across the plains to be lost forever. I am an outsider here. The people use the term tree hugger as if it was profanity. 

I am making the best of this newer subdivision of duplexes. Each tiny backyard is surrounded by solid white, plastic fencing. It is so lightweight that the gates are blown off in strong winds. I assume that the fences were put there for the numerous dog owners, as they do little to provide privacy. Each resident can look down into the yards of their neighbors from their upstairs windows. 

The parcelization of land continues to be a huge problem for wildlife. The unchecked construction of more houses and buildings and parking lots, for humans, puts barriers in the way of wildlife trying to reach food and shelter. The developers remove the topsoil, along with its essential microorganisms, leaving the residents with lifeless subsoil. Most of the residents do not care, but for those who are gardeners – especially organic gardeners – it can be a problem. I want to tear down the plastic fences and plant hedgerows in their place. This would allow for the safe passage of wildlife and for the possibility of their survival, as more and more of them slip towards the brink of extinction.

At great risk of ridicule from neighbors, or threats from the local authorities, I set up my compost in the alley behind the yard. The front yard, which I had spent the entire summer trying to bring back to a state of health, speaks for itself. It is now, by far, the nicest yard in the entire three block area. I know that talking to or trying to convince others of the need to stop poisoning the land would simply fall on deaf ears. Maybe; however, their curiosity will get the best of them and they will open their minds to the importance of creating habitat for other species. Regardless of whether I can spark an awakening of consciousness in the people here, I quietly rejoice in my own heart. Every time I see a native insect, bee, or bird in the space that I have created just for them, it gives me hope.

The manipulation of the American people by the rich and powerful, and by our own government, has become increasingly evident. We are manipulated through social media, through educational systems, and through capitalism. The ability to think and to intuit independently has been mostly erased. Individual power has surrendered into pathetic submission. Far too many people are completely reliant on others telling them what to do, how to live, and even what to believe.

Our history books tell us what the government wants us to know and to believe. Most of the news channels are driven by sensationalism, while truly relevant news (about the dire state of the natural world) is pushed aside. I often watch PBS news in the evening, but even that channel may not be totally reliable. To not watch any news at all would be like sticking my head in the sand. The news that comes across popular social media apps is questionable at best and is often interlaced with fake news. 

For the past month, the news has been filled with doom and gloom, mostly depicting the horrifying war between Hammas and Israel. I have listened to interviews from both sides as well as our own government’s justification for its defense of Israel. Israel’s position is that Hammas must be stopped at all costs – and that cost has been astronomical, both in terms of lost lives and the total destruction of spaces that were once home to many. The Palestinians claim that they have been oppressed for years and that they have been denied one of the most basic necessities of life – water. They say that Israel wants to take away their land and their livelihood. So I am asking myself, why is our government backing Israel? Why do we continue to supply weapons to countries at war, when the last thing our world needs is more weapons? I am asking myself, who are the real terrorists in this situation? 

It seems that Donald Trump is in the news most every day, although it is never because he has done anything good for the country, or for our planet. Mostly it is for his sneering, derogatory remarks about others, or his self-pity about how unfairly he has been treated. It was revealed that if he is re-elected in 2024, he hopes to have more control over government policies and the freedom to execute executive orders according to his whim. How blind are the people who support him! Do they honestly not see that he is deranged and manipulative, and that he has the makings of a dictator on the same level as Hitler? He needs to be locked away with the key thrown away, and denied all communication with the public.

I am disgusted by our government’s obsession with military strength and wars that do not involve us – yet. America has a collective bloated ego that blinds it to the real needs of our world. The covert manipulation must be exposed and we must demand the truth. We (Americans) may never fully understand the conflict between Hammas and Israel. We must take everything we hear with a grain of salt. Most importantly; however, if the United States is to be a world leader, we should be leading with peace and spreading more light, more kindness, and more empathy – NOT more weapons and more violence.

If there is one thing I have learned over the course of my lifetime, it is time management. Since I am a gardener and have worked outside for a large part of my life, this is often based on current weather conditions. While I normally prefer to get my blog written and posted early in the morning, mornings like today force me to put first things first. I had battled furious winds yesterday afternoon as I tried to prevent straw from blowing off the top of my raised garden beds. They had been further damaged from our four cats who perceived the exposed soil as a new litter box. They had even dug up a few of the garlic bulbs that I had planted in them a few weeks earlier. Needless to say, I was slightly irritated; not to mention that strong winds alone have a tendency to make me irritable. 

My day had not begun well since one of the aforementioned cats thought it would be fun to knock one of my houseplants off the dresser at 4:00 in the morning. I am pleased to say that the day definitely improved. I was not going to allow the wind to get the better of me, nor allow the hard work that I had put into creating the raised beds to be jeopardized. It was imperative that I get the soil covered up again, knowing that it is never a good idea to leave soil exposed to the elements. I placed very thick layers of straw over the top of each bed and watered them thoroughly. I knew, of course, that this would not be enough to stop the wind from blowing it off a second time. I remembered the plastic fencing that I had put around the garden, and later taken down, once I began making the raised beds. Fortunately, I had enough to lay over the top of all three beds with about a foot to spare. I held it down by placing rocks all the way around each one. I may have mentioned that rocks are quite numerous in this area, so I had at least a thousand to choose from. I am relieved now because the plastic fencing, having very large holes, allows the wind to pass right through it;  therefore, the beds are now protected from both wind and cats.

This brings me to today. The wind blows here more often than not so you need to learn to gauge your activities according to the miles per hour that the wind is blowing. Thankfully, it was calm this morning, so I went straight outside to complete gardening tasks and put the rest of the garden in order for the coming winter. I also watered newly planted trees and sprinkled the last of the micro-clover seed on the existing lawn. I believe that I am mostly finished with gardening now, other than cleaning my gardening tools before putting them away. The truth is, I am never really finished. I will take advantage of nice days to work on cleaning up the alley behind the yard and refinish my wood potting bench. I will start growing salad and herbs indoors, plan next spring’s garden, and order more seeds. Writing takes precedence over most things; however, I will always put first things first, take my walks during the warmest and least windy part of the day in winter, and during the coolest part of the day in summer. It’s common sense, really. I am grateful to have the freedom to manage my own time. I am grateful to have the wisdom to prioritize what is truly important (in my own life, at least) and to be fully present in whatever I choose to do in each moment.

A large number of people live within the boundaries of their own existence and within the confines of their limited consciousness. Seldom do they consider their own smallness or their expendability within the whole of life. Some have an ever insatiable curiosity about the world they live in. This curiosity has helped us to learn about our planet and our place in it; but with each new discovery more mysteries are revealed. 

We live our lives on the surface of a huge, round starball that is suspended among an infinity of other stars. We have studied life from the miniscule, microscopic level, to other universes that are light years away. We have studied other species and we have even studied ourselves, yet we still know so little. There are those who claim to know more than others and others who blindly accept what has been passed off as truth. Life; however, will continue to be a mystery. For every new piece of information we acquire, more questions and more mysteries are presented for us to solve. Some are deluded, believing that in understanding only a fraction of life’s manifestations, they can control it. They do not recognize that their own existence is due to something far bigger than themselves.

We have learned, and finally admitted, that numerous other species also have great intelligence. They are innovative when presented with challenging situations. Many other species employ tools. This should come as no surprise. Ernest Holmes announced that there is a power in the universe that we can use (to heal our bodies and to heal our lives and our circumstances.) What he failed to realize is that that power is available to all living things – not just humans. It is what helps them, and us, to evolve.

There has been talk on the news about hundreds of miles of underground tunnels that have been created by the terrorist group, Hammas. Throughout human history, men have dug beneath the ground, to mine minerals from the earth. There had been rumors when I owned a home west of Denver, that the nearby Federal Center contained underground tunnels, possibly running underneath my house. There are untold mysteries that lie beneath the surface of the earth. There is undiscovered life at the bottom of the ocean, far deeper than we have been able to descend. Volcanoes exist on the bottom of the ocean as well as on the surface of our planet. There is potential for volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, not only as a natural planetary event, but also caused by human activity.
Ernest Holmes also said that this great power, which is available to all, is no respecter of persons. We can use power, but we cannot control it. The only thing that can control the unleashing of great power is love. That is the greatest mystery of all.