Swan Sanctuary

I am anxious to read a book recently published by Sir David Attenborough, the well-known narrator of many wildlife documentaries. The ninety four year old has written this as a result of a lifetime, witnessing the degradation of our planet and the loss of species. PBS did a short interview with him about his new book, A Life On Our Planet: My Witness Statement and a Vision for the Future. The sadness and despair that I saw in his eyes is something that I, and many others, share. It is we, and our ancestors before us, who have brought so much suffering to the world. The die-hard Christians  can try to blame it on “god”, but the truth is, that we did this. And, we are still doing it.

Our propensity for war, coupled with our egoistic tendencies, have created a collective consciousness of hatred and malice towards each other, towards other species, and towards our planet. Karma is rarely instant, but it is as certain as night and day. There is no “sin”  that goes unpunished – no good that goes unrecognized. We cannot escape the consequences of our actions. The devastating wildfires, the floods, the hurricanes, the droughts, and the diseases that have befallen us are a direct result of what we have done to others (i.e. all life on this planet) either consciously or unconsciously. This is not simply bad luck. It is not poor “management”. What we have given comes back to us whether good, or bad. What we have taken, will be taken from us.

If we are to save our race and save our planet (as we know it) we need to raise our collective consciousness. There is no better time than during this period of pandemic isolation, to  come together and unite for a common purpose. COVID19 has given us the opportunity to set our selfishness aside and to realize our oneness. We are all connected and if we are to change the course of our collective karma, we must take responsibility for what we have done personally and collectively. We may not be able to change the attitudes of those who choose to live selfishly; but we can show through our actions a different path; one which can lead us to hope rather than to despair. By collectively tipping the balance towards the light, we can begin to change the essence of our collective karma.

I fail to see why voting has become so problematic in this country. When each state has its own agenda of how, when, and where to vote, it poses all sorts of difficulties. Since we are voting for one president to serve our entire country, it would make far more sense if every state operated under the same procedures. Instead of dividing states into red and blue, people might feel that their vote actually counted, if ballots from all fifty states were sent by mail to a single location. There could be one headquarters where, as ballots were opened to feed into the counting machines, the voter could be emailed a confirmation, assuring him or her that the ballot had been received. It should not be difficult. Companies like Amazon, retail stores, and the USPS are proficient at providing this service for package deliveries; so it would make sense for the voting system to follow a similar protocol.

Soldiers in the military have always been allowed absentee voting privileges. Several states have been implementing vote-by-mail for some time; and it has worked smoothly and efficiently. As more people take up nomadic lifestyles on the road in RV’s, and with the frequency in which many people move, this only creates more work and a greater possibility of error for voters. Everytime they move, they have to re-register to vote. If we had one central voting location to serve the entire country, we would only need to register one time as long as we remain U.S. citizens. We would then be in their database, just as all of us who pay taxes are in the IRS database.Voting by mail is the only sensible way to vote in our modern times. It just should not be that difficult!

I have always felt that insurance was a terrible waste of money. Insurance salesmen have honed their ability to feed people’s fears with the looming question, “What if…” Most people have become so addicted to having insurance that they panic at the thought of not having it. It is one aspect of our constant striving to have a safe and predictable life. Security is of course, an illusion, regardless of what we tell ourselves.

I was mildly annoyed when Obama Care was instituted. For personal reasons, I have rarely gone to medical doctors. I resented being told that I had to spend my hard earned money on insurance that I knew I would never use. In spite of my own feelings about it, I understand that it is vitally important to many people. I had sincerely hoped that Bernie Sanders could have stayed in the running and been elected, so that he could implement his “medicare for all” plans. I wish there was a better system that did not require insurance. If the government would alot a certain dollar amount to every single person, every year; then at the end of the year, those people who had no medical expense could donate their unused dollars to those who need it. I am fortunate to have had Medicare for the past few years since I am over 65; but I am healthy and I have no need for it. I wish that all of the money that has gone to pay for my insurance could go to my daughter, instead. She has suffered from a rare disease and needs the medical care, while what I have been given is going to waste. 

The reality is, that insurance companies and Big Pharma have a stranglehold on our economy. Hospitals and drug companies are overcharging and many procedures are unnecessary. Our biggest mistake was in allowing our health care to be determined by rampant capitalism. I will personally do everything in my power to avoid medical doctors; but I believe that those who choose to go to them should not have to bankrupt themselves in order to pay for their care. I think, if given the choice, most people would prefer to donate what they can to help those in need, than to continually fill the pockets of the insurance and drug companies.

I was never quite certain about how I felt about the death penalty, which remains legal in 30 states, Texas being the state where it is most prevalent. It seems like a waste of our tax dollars to imprison perpetrators for lifetime sentences. They are fed, clothed, and provided medical care, while millions of people are homeless and do not know where their next meal is coming from. If someone has committed a heinous crime, it seems that execution is letting them off the hook, so that they do not have to pay the consequences of (or learn from) their wrong doing. Delving deeper, the problem becomes more complicated because if you look into a criminal’s past, you find that quite often he endured abuse as a child, which led to his criminal act. The prevelence of pornography, child sexual abuse, pedophiles, and children being sold into slavery, is providing a grim future for thousands of children. Ending the life of the worst criminals will not solve the problem. We must begin caring for our children, ensuring that they receive adequate nutrition (because sugar overload can lead to violence) and that they are kept off drugs, including pharmaceuticals (because it teaches them that drugs are the answers to life’s problems). It is the disease within society itself that is producing unstable adults who commit crimes. In some cases, the criminals can – and have been rehabilitated.

The other blaring and disturbing problem with the death penalty, is the alarmingly large number of innocent people who are being put to death for crimes they did not commit. This is due to the surprisingly large number of public officials who withhold evidence, pay off witnesses to lie, look the other way, and who generally, contribute to a corrupt and broken legal system. In many cases, prisoners have already served sentences of several years before finally being put to death. The means by which the death sentencing is carried out, is often faulty. The equipment for electrocution may fail, or the drugs used in lethal injection causes intense suffering. 

A large percentage of incarcerated individuals are there because of drug possession or drug related crimes. Many have turned to drugs because poverty drove them there. Our capitalist society has contributed to these problems by allowing only the rich to get richer. Until we at least make an attempt to rehabilitate those convicted of crimes, a death penalty should not even be considered. Prison sentences should have a maximum of ten years. Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone changes. Everyone has the ability to grow and to change. These are facts. We cannot continue to sweep these people under the rug as though their life doesn’t matter – because all lives matter.

I love October days. The opposite of April, when we are impatiently waiting for the balmy days of summer to return; in October, we savor the pleasant, slightly cool, but colorful days. Many of the vibrantly colored leaves hang on, providing sharp contrast to the bright, azure sky. Each lovely October day feels like summer’s parting gift, often bittersweet in its reminder that winter is imminent. By November, almost all of the leaves will have fallen, except for the oaks that often persist until new spring growth pushes them out. 

Spring fever is well known; when we often want to stop whatever we are doing and take in the approaching first days of warmth. Spring is often fickle; however, teasing us with its beauty one day and dropping wet snow on us the next. I believe that autumn fever is just as real as that of spring. I am tired from the labor intensive chores of the garden, but I am reluctant to go inside. I have a strong urge to simply sit and enjoy the changing colors, or to watch the birds and squirrels as they prepare for cold weather, or for migration. 

My body is willing me to slow down and I am unsure if it is only the season, or my advancing years. As I sit here waiting for words to flow, I find myself simply staring out the window. A junco briefly landed in the tree, but then flew off. I usually only see them just before a snow storm; but the weather is unnaturally warm for October and there is no precipitation in sight for the coming week. I wonder if the birds are confused by our strange weather and if the smoke from the wildfires burns their eyes and throats as it does mine. How many thousands have had to flee their forest homes? Will I see more birds here this fall and winter because they have nowhere else to go? I wish that, like the birds, I was busy preparing for the coming months; but we are in the middle of a pandemic and future plans for many people are on hold. Like the birds, we are vigilant, ready to take flight, or to fight, whatever comes our way. For today, I am grateful that I can simply enjoy a beautiful October day.

It has been challenging at times, to ignore the nearly incessant noise of traffic passing beneath my windows. The clamor is so loud at times, it drowns out the TV whenever I happen to be watching a movie in the evening. Tractor trailers, macho trucks, motorcycles, RV’s, and sirens make up the din that I must listen to on a daily basis. Yesterday, I decided to resume walking again, which I have let slide since March, because my gardening has consumed most of my time and energy. Walking in this town is not a pleasant experience. The sidewalks are intermittent so that you may walk on one for a block and then it disappears; so you end up having to walk in the street. The town’s park is small and rather boring, requiring two times around in order to have a substantial walk.

I decided to drive to the cemetery. It is bordered on one side by a golf course and on the other, by a field, so it was surprisingly quiet. The constant flapping of tires hitting pavement, from the adjacent  highway, was distant and easy to ignore. The trees were large and mostly evergreen, lending a faint pine scent to the air. I have spent very little time in cemeteries, but I have discovered they are the quietest places  I enjoyed looking at the many different headstones and the way in which they had been decorated. Each was a portrayal of individuality, similar to the front yards in an older neighborhood like this one, where each house is distinct in its dis-similarities and unlike the rows and rows of tract houses in newer suburbs. 

I thoroughly enjoyed my walk as I crisscrossed the tiny roads through the cemetery. The air was cool, only in the low 60’s.(℉) but the sun was shining and the wind had stopped for a time. Several squirrels looked at me expectantly, but I had not thought to bring peanuts on my walk. Those squirrels, I thought, are fortunate to live on this prime piece of real estate, where they do not have to cross the road and risk being run over. Now that I have discovered the cemetery, I should like to spend every day walking there, where life is serene and feels removed from the chaos of our modern world. In fact, if I have the opportunity to purchase property again, I would like it to be next to a cemetery because I know that the neighbors would be very quiet and considerate. I cannot think of a quieter place to walk, than in a cemetery.

My life experiences have helped me to hone the skill of living with uncertainty. The “well-planned life” is a fictional idea that causes people to believe in a world of fantasy. Life is unpredictable and once we accept this, we can begin to live with less anxiety. It has been said that we live in “uncertain times”, but  when has life ever been certain?

None of us know what will transpire over the next few months. We have civil unrest, a pandemic that could worsen, a collapsing economy, and a highly contentious presidential election on the horizon, that could determine the fate of many. Tensions are high and despair is thickening for those facing an unknown future. Much of the outcome will be determined by our collective consciousness. The big question is, will you be one who adds to the light – or to the darkness in the world? Peace often comes at a very high price. Are you willing to pay the price for peace? Can you resist the temptation to be dragged down into the violence that is simmering, ready to boil over into complete chaos? Or, can you remain cool and calm like a placid lake, reflecting light into the darkness? It is easy to remain calm when you trust, allowing your higher wisdom to wash over you. Life always supports us if we permit it.

Civilizations have come and gone. Species have come and gone. Our earth has gone through billions of years of changes. It will continue to change. It may even become, at some point, uninhabitable by humans. So, what is all the fuss about? “What we resist, persists.” Let’s not resist the imminent changes; but focus on the beauty of this October day. Tomorrow will take care of itself. It always does.