Swan Sanctuary

I was shocked and sickened when I read an article in today’s news, saying that Denmark is planning to exterminate 17 million minks that have been discovered to carry a mutated form of coronavirus. But then, we allowed the extermination of 6 million of our own kind. Apparently, Denmark is the largest supplier of mink coats. Will the exploitation of other species, through factory farming, ever cease?

Minks are semiaquatic and they are related to weasels, otters and ferrets – and they are adorable. In the UK, where all mink populations are farmed, it is illegal to release them into the wild. They are kept in the same tiny cubicles, known as battery cages, in which factory farmed chickens are raised, and where they have no room to move about. This has resulted in the deterioration of the minks’ mental health, which is further exacerbated by the mere sight of a human being. 

In the wild, a mink’s diet consists of aquatic life, small mammals, birds, and eggs. Rabbits are one of their favorite foods. Those minks which are imprisoned on farms are fed human foods that have surpassed their expiration dates – cheese, eggs, fish, meat, poultry, and slaughterhouse byproducts. Minks that live in the wild are preyed on by owls, fox, coyotes, wolves, and bobcats, but since many of these natural predators have been eliminated, they pose a threat to fish populations. This is because their normal behavior is to live along streams, river banks, and lakes. They are also, by nature, territorial. Obviously, as victims of the fur industry, their natural behavior is subdued. Animal rights activist groups have fought for decades to put a stop to the fur industry, due to the cruelty inflicted on these animals merely for the sake of those wealthy enough to afford a mink coat. The fact that people can murder 17 million animals, probably without batting an eye, is inconceivable to me. I am certain that the industries lament only the loss of their profits and could care less about the animals themselves. If any good can come from the slaughtering of 17 million minks, I hope it will be the closing down permanently of the businesses that farm them.

My first husband bought me a mink coat as a gift, when I was still ignorant about these things. I still have the coat today, though I have rarely worn it. I keep it now as a kind of memorial to remind me of those minks whose lives were sacrificed for human vanity. I also treat it as a kind of sacred relic in honor of their memory. I will continue to care for the coat as I would care for the gravestone of a loved and departed family member.

Human beings need to let go of the notion, that they must exterminate and eradicate every species that isn’t to their liking. The annihilation of one species begins a downward spiral that throws the entire ecosystem out of balance. Scientists all over the world have shown this to be true, so why do we continue to allow so many atrocities to our environment and to other species? Everything has a purpose for its existence. Everything

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I have just finished watching a documentary on PBS called The Age of Nature. There were three episodes and I do not know if there will be more, but I was impressed by the way the film presented the big picture of our global warming crisis. This problem, quite literally, is affecting our entire globe from the tops of our highest mountains to the depths of the sea – and everything in between. So many things have contributed to the degradation of our planet. It is not just the carbon emissions from automobiles and industrial complexes. It is not only fracking and our reliance on fossil fuels. It is not just agriculture or the clearcutting and deforestation that are to blame. It is all of these things – and more – that have placed our planet on the brink of total collapse. The problems cannot be solved by only one person or one country. This global problem requires all of us together to figure it out and to do our part.

It was heartening to see that many people all over the world have tackled some of these momentous challenges. Where actions have been taken to clean up some of our messes, nature has come to our aid, reviving forests and parts of the ocean, returning areas to their native condition, and bringing back biodiversity. It is remarkable to see the transformation of those places where we have worked with nature and not against her. She is our ally. She is capable of healing those natural systems that we have broken. 

In a few days or weeks, once the voting count has been settled and is behind us; and when Joe Biden becomes our new leader, we will re-enter the Paris Agreement, which Trump so foolishly withdrew us from. Since the dawn of industrialization, the United States has been the largest contributor to greenhouse gases. Today we have dropped to second place, with China moving to the number one slot. Climate change is affecting our economy. We have already had sixteen climate disasters, each costing us one million dollars or more, in 2020 alone. So often it is the smaller and the poorer countries that must endure the effects of climate change. The Trump administration withdrew two thirds of money that was pledged, to come to the aid of those countries impacted by climate change. The UK, Germany, France, and ten other countries doubled their pledges! Personally, I find this embarrassing. As one of the wealthiest countries in the world, we should feel ashamed. Our country has the ability to do so much good for the world. There is simply no excuse for the joblessness, homelessness, and hopelessness that so many are being driven to; while the wealthiest 1% continue to exploit fellow citizens and the entire  world for their own gain.

I know in my heart that good, in time, will always conquer evil. My heart is filled with hope for that day when we re-enter the Paris Agreement and show the world by our example (and not by Trump’s empty words) that it is our collective integrity as a nation, that makes us great.

We have already had two big snow storms here in this town; but for the past couple of days the weather gods are showing mercy. I am slowing down so that I can fully appreciate this short interlude of pleasantly warm days, before winter settles in for good. Most of the trees are bare of leaves now, making the blue sky look a little brighter.

I came here more than two years ago to be near my youngest daughter. She was employed here, but far from family and friends. A year ago, I had decided to move on, but she asked me to stay while she was deployed overseas. I have made the best of my situation. I tried to get involved in the community and to make a difference by teaching sustainable gardening methods; but then the pandemic hit and no one showed an interest. I was never sure if it was the fear that COVID brought about, or the closed minds of the local citizens that discouraged my efforts. I passed the time by making another garden (in a different place than the one I had made the previous year). I worked so hard and perhaps it was futile, but I am a gardener – I cannot NOT garden! Not being able to garden is a near death experience for me and the years that I was unable to, are too painful to remember.

The year that I have spent here has given me time to pause and to become clear about where I am headed. I have never liked the climate here – especially the wind – so I know that staying would only accelerate the end of my life. Gardening in this zone 5a for only 3 ½ to 4 months out of the year, doesn’t cut it for me. I have a renewed sense of purpose now and my intention is to move to a zone 7b, where I can once again have forests around me and listen to the blessed rain. I am determined at long last, to have a greenhouse, as well. I have managed to survive since my divorce nine years ago. But, like the plants that hold on as long as possible through the autumn, pushing out a few remaining blooms in their farewell to summer; I hope to thrive, in the Indian summer of my life, for a little while longer.

I am, quite frankly, nervous about the outcome of today’s election. What we are seeing here, is not the decision to be made of who has the better vision for leading us out of our current chaos. What we are seeing is a bloodbath between good and evil. In the previous election, Donald Trump, being a chauvinist, could not have allowed himself to be beaten by a woman. Since he did win, the truth about his character has been slower to emerge than it might have otherwise been; but it has emerged. We have witnessed time and time again, his disrespect for the American people – especially non-white people. We have seen over and over again, his firing of people he had decided not to like, revealing himself to be akin to a spoiled child throwing down the toys he does not want. We have watched him lie (about his taxes) and exaggerate (“everyone was happy about it”) and make every attempt to bend, stretch, and abuse the power he was given. The truth is, Donald Trump is not content to hold the highest office in our country. He wants to become dictator. When I see him on television, I see a belligerent three year old pouting and scowling and throwing tantrums to get his way. I recently watched a film, and also a documentary about Adolph Hitler. The narcissism and the cruelty in their personalities is strikingly similar. 

Last night on PBS it was revealed that Trump is already assembling lawyers to fight the validity of the election, should he lose. He stated some time back that he would refuse to leave the White House if he did not win. Like an adolescent boy who is certain the other players in a game are cheating, he refuses to accept that he may not be the winner. He makes claims about the fake news being spread, when he and his Russian cohorts are the ones who are spreading it. He is so afraid of losing this election that he will stop at nothing to ensure his personal victory. America has lost its moral compass. Most of us were taught to accept defeat gracefully; we learned that sometimes we have to step down, accept that we have lost, and shake hands with our opponent. 

It may take a few days before all of the votes are counted and we know the outcome of this election. If Trump wins again, it will mean defeat for the American people – and for the entire world. He has only his own selfish interests at heart. If he loses, I fear he will gather his militia, surround the White House, and take over our country. It is highly possible that we could find ourselves in another civil war. Those people who follow and support him are easily manipulated. The wool has been pulled over their eyes and they are unable to see clearly or to think for themselves. Trump and his supporters are similar to a cult. It is a frightening situation that we find ourselves in. My only hope is that enough people are waking up from the dream that Trump has lulled them into. If enough people awaken and flood our country with love and light and peace, this evil will disappear. It is the only way to make it disappear.

We live on a stunningly beautiful planet; however a large percentage of it has been destroyed by human annihilation. Large groups of people have never witnessed or experienced this beauty because all they have ever known is ground covered in concrete, and huge buildings towering over them. Maybe they live in a high rise apartment where they must navigate their way through crowded sidewalks, filled with people rushing to get someplace. They possibly do not own a car and their other means of transportation is the subway or a taxi. Or, maybe they have grown up in the slums of a major city, where everything around them is reminiscent of a trash heap. Their idea of beauty becomes skewed.They think that a shiny new car, an electronic device, a new hairdo, or a tattoo is a thing of beauty, because they have never known the sound of a trickling stream in the woods, or experienced the smell of pine or decaying leaves. The only non-domesticated animals that they have ever seen are caged in a zoo and the only way they know, to fill the empty void inside of them, is through drugs. Millions of people will never know the lovely parts of our world that they are missing, except possibly, through their televisions.

This may not be the first time that our planet has witnessed the desertification that is happening today. Agriculture has been practised even in bygone civilizations. Places that are now deserts, were once a lush, tropical paradise. The difference is that today we are able to see and understand the role we have played in the devastation of what was once breathtaking. Centuries ago, ignorance caused people to make up stories to explain the terrible transformations that befell their world. The powerful Roman Catholic church invented the story of Adam and Eve, suggesting that it was lust and immoral behavior that had cost them paradise. It was immoral in the way we treated the earth and other species; but just like today, it was agriculture that drained beauty from the once fruitful earth. They made up another story, shunning the life here and making the false promise that only if we were good, would we be returned to paradise; but that it was another place called heaven and we could not go there until we died. Hell was just a step below the world we were currently living in.

It is time for the human race to grow up and to dispense with the fairy tales. Our earth was, and always has been, paradise. If we are to know her beauty once again, we must pay attention to her cries and to her warnings. We must make amends.