"It came without packages, boxes and bags..." - The Grinch.
Taking a break this week as I celebrate Christmas with the fam.
Wishing all of you a Happy Hanukkah! Happy Solstice!, Happy Kwanza!, Merry Christmas!
And peace and health (and joy) in the New Year!
Peace out,
"It has been my experience that these hours of perusing the water, here (on the shore) or while at sea--taking in the occasional bird or surfacing whale, watching light shift on the surface--induce an awareness of another sort of time, a time that fills an expansive and undifferentiated volume of space, one not easily available elsewhere. On those days, such a seemingly mindless vigil offers relief from the monotony of everyday experience." B. Lopez
"Art's underlying strength is that it does not intend to be literal. It presents a metaphor and leaves the viewer or listener to interpret. It is giving in to art, not trying to divine its meaning, that brings the deepest measure of satisfaction. The authority of art, its special power to illuminate, was partially eclipsed in Western culture by the Scientific Revolution... Its influence undermined by science's certainty." B. Lopez
"The history of the separation of art from the natural world and from the world of reason...these breaches have had a staggering effect on how humans grapple with their fate." B. Lopez
I maintained a certain affinity for the Catholic faith long after the institution had repeatedly disappointed me. I believe it is because as opposed to some of the other mainstream Christian traditions, and despite all of its dogma, it allowed a space for mystery to remain. As someone who considers herself to have a scientific bent, I wasn't sure how to explain this even to myself. But I believe that this "added dimension" that Catholicism allowed for filled a gap that was missing for me. Science as a frame of mind and as a way to translate curiosity and imagination into knowledge is a noble calling, but true wisdom requires another way of knowing as well, another way of "seeing" and processing the world around us. The two ways working together create a certain synergy.
Appreciating and noticing things as an artist as opposed to as a scientist enhances the way we learn about our world. People have different abilities in these areas. Some are more "intuitive" and may express themselves better through stories or art. They are using their brains to process information in a less conscious, less measurable way. I have a partner who can easily list the differential diagnosis from a list of symptoms and thinks in a very conscious, rational, bullet point way. My process has the same result but works in a much more intuitive, unconscious, "wordy" way. We get to the same endpoint, but we arrive there using a different path. People who are more artistic than I am process the world differently as well. They may use visual, tactile or audio imagery rather than words. They "see things" that I don't and express themselves differently as well. Although I would argue that if we allow it, if we are privileged enough to be able to take a step back from our everyday experience, we could all see things in different ways. And that despite our differences, we all have the capacity for wonder.
On January 23, 1960 Naval lieutenant Dan Walsh was one of two men to descend to the lowest depth of the Pacific ocean for the first time. "It was important to Walsh that a human being, not a rover or a probe, first saw the bottom of the Pacific. "You can't surprise a machine," he said to me. And it is this capacity to appreciate the unknown, to be surprised by it, he believes, that will set the human explorer apart from the machine. The moment of surprise informs you emphatically that the way you once imagined the world is not the way is is." B. Lopez Horizon.
Captain Cook travelled the seas as an explorer. He helped open the door for the exploration of many parts of the world. "He spent his life charting raw space, putting down grids and elevations, but he also understood what could not be charted, the importance of the line that separated the known from the unknown. He understood what occurred in the silence between two musical notes. He also knew, I believe, the indispensability of this." B.Lopez. Unfortunately, many who "benefited" from Cook's knowledge did not share his insight. They did not share his appreciation for the unknown nor for the local knowledge that informed the relationship between that particular land and all of it's inhabitants.
First the conquistadores came for gold, then the "Age of Enlightenment" was ushered in and men debated whether empiricism (where the only path to knowledge is through experimentation and the senses) or rationality (where "rational thought" is a path to knowledge) or a combination of the two were necessary to understand the world.
Some, like Alexander Humboldt, Charles Darwin, and Alfred Russel Wallace, for example, explored many parts of the globe in order to gain knowledge, (shooting and stuffing as many samples as they could "collect"), and changed the way we imagine the world. Darwin observed and elucidated the theory of evolution (as did Wallace), firmly pushing homo sapiens out of the limelight. Humboldt was a pre-environmentalist who really defined our role as part of a system of nature whose inhabitants all influence each other, as opposed to humans as separate from nature and imposing their will on it as a "divine" right.
They did not lack for curiosity or imagination and they used these "western" methods to change our whole way of thinking. Unfortunately they and many others often disregarded, diminished and destroyed local knowledge, customs and mysticism in the process. Much was lost by glorifying "science" and demoting ways like art, storytelling and music that communicated both practical knowledge and a deeper wisdom. (Side bar, I would also argue that the more intuitive way of processing information is also a more "feminine" style and women as a group were dismissed largely from the halls of science as inferior beings, "emotional" and incapable of the superior rational thought.)
Today, many still become defensive at the idea of questioning the authority of science as a way to learn about the universe. Others push back against science because they "need" a stability and certainty that science cannot offer, while some push back because they feel the scientific establishment has become both dogmatic and presumptuous in claiming to be the only path to answers for the questions of the universe- Why are we here? Where do we come from? What is our role? What is the best relationship with the rest of the planet/universe? Some question the motives of the establishment (or "the elite") and fear they, the masses, are being manipulated.
I have three thoughts about this. The first is that by tying the idea of science to both the scientific establishment with its "publish or perish" tenure system, and to the people who market the practical applications of science (business people, marketing executives, social media influencers and politicians who are trying to encourage us to give them our money, data or vote) we miss the point of how and why science is so powerful and so important. Second, by diminishing other "paths to knowledge" we have hobbled science, impairing both its ability to gain insight and to understand the "science" behind these other ways of observing our world. Third, science can be done by people who rely on intuition vs cold rationality but the process- the scientific method/experimental or mathematical data does need to be adhered to for a cogent "scientific" result. Science is not the same as art, though both have meaning and beauty.
For many, their only experience with "science" is in a class or classes that use math and experiments to explain and collect data on things we already know. Even at higher levels of education, science can become more about churning out data to process and turn into a publication in order to secure or advance a career, and less about a wonder and awe at how the world works and a longing to move the bar closer to a level of understanding of the deeper questions. We are harried in our process and forget to stop and be amazed. There is a loss of an appreciation for the role of curiosity, the need for unbridled imagination and the relationship between and the necessary roles of both science and art in the quest to understand the world we inhabit and the role we play in it. We have forgotten that children (my favorites) are the best scientists as they explore their worlds. (Why they need access to the natural world is a future blog I promise, but this is one reason.)
There are more and more people coming forward into the mainstream to reintroduce us to indigenous knowledge as one of these other ways to view the world. Some of these people like Robin Kimmerer and Diana Beresford-Kroeger are trained in both traditional science and in indigenous ways of knowing. They are not afraid to form a marriage of the two and we are better for it.
There is newer knowledge about psychedelic drugs (ketamine, lsd) and their role in the treatment of depression. People who have experienced "guided therapy" using these drugs, including Michael Pollan for his last book "How to Change your Mind," describe the experience as a letting go of your individual self and being able to get out of the destructive cycles that limit how you imagine you are or can be. Hmm, sounds a little like the experience of sweat lodges or peyote maybe? Medicine people have been present in many cultures and have had some of this knowledge which we ignored.
Then there is Van Gogh. Sit for a moment (or many moments if you can) in Musee d"Orsay in Paris, revel in the paintings by Van Gogh and you can find another way of being. Van Gogh was of course, tortured in his mind and ultimately killed himself, but the visions he left in his paintings are magnificent. And he is just one artist in a world of artists, musicians and storytellers who better our world.
Then there is the color of Flathead lake in Montana's Glacier National Park, or the existence of a praying mantis, or the sound of a chickadee. Another way of appreciating the world is to take a moment and simply be in awe of it.
There is of course, science behind these other ways of seeing the world, these other ways of acquiring knowledge and of illuminating that knowledge for the world to see, but this is getting a little bit meta I think. - Future blogs will dive into what we know about consciousness and individuals.
For today:
The people who push back on the scientific establishment are right to be skeptical when they see fraudulent papers published and industry backed research, or politically influenced recommendations. But skepticism in it's purest form should actually power science and not be it's enemy. Science should reject dogma not create its own. This will broaden our knowledge and be more inclusive. And we will be earning the trust of the public when we need to use science to make broad recommendations.
I will here defend science on two points with regard to public acceptance: 1. Science will never claim to know everything about anything. We should and do say that we have shown things to be a certain way over and over but will never say always or never- yes even for gravity... Politicians (and others who stand to gain from it) use this to cast doubt on things that have been shown over and over -evolution, humanity's role in climate change, cigarettes causing cancer, vaccines, masks to reduce the spread of covid-19.
2. The public is fickle. They happily uses the smart phones and other technology powered by science while denouncing scientists when the science used to create the technology they love interferes with their "personal" or "religious" beliefs. And people balk when scientific knowledge is used for the common good, but is inconvenient (or sometimes hard) or requires a small acceptance of risk (mask wearing, vaccines, avoiding travel avoiding gathering together, closing some businesses). This is frustrating.
This breakdown in any trust in science is currently causing huge numbers of people to get sick and die. And yet the fires of mistrust continue to be stoked (don't even get me started). This is not cool.
Your thoughts?
Peace out.
(Please vaccinate your children and yourself. Think of it like homeopathy- a small dose of the bad stuff to teach your body to fight off the real culprit. They are safe. They are safer than antibiotics. They save lives-maybe even yours.)
Suggested Readings:
"Horizon" Barry Lopez 2018
"The Invention of Nature" Andrea Wulf 2015
"Braiding Sweetgrass" Robin Kimmerer 2015
"How to Change your Mind" Michael Pollan 2018
"1493" Charles C. Mann 2011
"To Speak for the Trees" Diana Beresford-Kroeger 2019
Spotify Playlist: "Science and Mystery - WordKnerrd blog #5"
“Like many other boys, I believed that the wherewithal to lead a successful life required, primarily and absolutely, a fistful of banknotes. The abject narrowness of this vision, the incompleteness of the thought, didn’t dawn on me. Nor did it occur to me that forty years later I would still be wondering what constituted real wealth.” Barry Lopez, "Horizon" 2018
"The disturbing thing about this is that relatively few people in America are able to live lives in which they are truly free. They are tied to the almighty dollar and to survive they must learn to tow the lines they’ve been urged to tow, though they have grown to believe this kind of regimented, obeisant, bounded existence actually represents freedom. They, we, I suppose, cannot risk thinking otherwise.” Barry Lopez, "Horizon" 2018
Healthcare in our country is a complete mess. There are just no two ways about it. The healthcare industry has become a business that requires sick people and expensive drugs to continue. We are losing any healing relationships we had between doctor and patient (although so called alternative practitioners - nurse practitioners, midwives, herbalists and the like have historically been better at this while the physicians catered to the rich and the barber surgeons to the masses, with the snake oil salesmen infiltrating all spheres). Wellness and the maintenance and upkeep of our bodies and our minds gets short shrift because they are time consuming and don't generate revenue. And we let the meat and dairy lobby influence our national dietary guidelines. And lets not even get into the health insurance mess. We do realize that having healthcare tied to our jobs is not some "American ideal" or "constitutional mandate" right? I mean we do know it only became a thing post World War II during an economic boom to attract men to jobs when salaries were already high right? The women needed to get back home to raise the children- even though they had been competently in the workforce during the war.
As I said, it is a mess. So why do I do it? It is really for the kids. I mean, I try to do the good that I can within a broken system, as many people I know also do, and I try to change the system when I can, but that is rare. But I really could not have the chutzpah to try to change things, or to put up with many of the frustrations inherent in the system if it wasn't for the kids. I have the privilege and the joy of being present at the birth of a child. I have the ability to help children who are acutely ill, and to help parents who have a sick child. And I get to interact with children of all ages. They are amazing creatures. Why you ask? Let me count the ways?
1. They are not afraid to fail- just watch a child learning to walk. They fail...alot, and they get frustrated yes. But they just keep trying until they succeed. And once they walk, they want to run, jump, gallop, and climb. We, as adults, continue to set limits on what they can try to do. Sometimes this is necessary for their safety, but sometimes it only stunts their growth as the limits are imposed for our convenience, or to help them "fit in" with society, or to be "financially secure."
2. They are curious, they want to take risks. They like to ask questions- especially Why? and often How? It may get frustrating at times but it is always important to try to encourage their curiosity and to help them find answers or to think about things.
3. They develop empathy naturally, but look to adults to define who they limit it to.
Research studies have shown us that children develop a "theory of mind" or the ability to understand that other people see the world differently then they do by age 4 or so. But empathy and the circle of of that compassion depends on a mothers (parents?) reaction to others hurting. If it is a big deal to her and she feels it is important to help others, her children will learn that. They start with that notion ingrained (to dislike the bully, to help the bystander), but they look to the adult to see if this always applies and if it does not who is included. Is it limited by race/gender/age/religion/sexual orientation/language/dress?
4. They do not care how much money you have, or your title or degree. They see right through your own self importance.
5. They know how to play. The importance of play for the development of young minds and young bodies is now undisputed. Children need to play, with each other in unstructured settings in order to learn about risk taking/consequences and to develop problem solving and critical thinking skills- literally to grow and shape their brains. Being outside in nature is an invaluable time for them to do this. They also require at least one adult who they can trust, who loves and supports them and thinks they are special. One who plays, reads, works and relaxes WITH them. One who allows them to explore and take risks, and to fail.
6. They find joy in being active. Too soon, children are taught to “sit still”: at their desk, at the dinner table, in front of the computer or tablet or tv. This becomes the natural state of most children and adults…sitting. But this isn’t natural, and it is a part of the large problem of obesity and chronic disease that afflicts us. The average child spends 40-50% of their awake time out of school in front of a screen, and only 20-30 minutes A WEEK in unstructured outdoor play. Both as individuals and as a society we need to find ways to change this.
7. They are not self conscious, until we teach them to be.
8. They are not bound by our ideas of what they should be, until we tell them.
9. They are close to the ground and remember to look at the small details of life.
10. They get sick quickly, but they heal so fast. They are programmed to heal and grow and have not spent years wearing out their bodies.
11. They just want to interact with you. They reach out to you. They need you - your presence to calm them, your back and forth talking, singing and reading in order to develop language, your love and support as they grow and expand their circles.
12. They like being outside, splashing in puddles, rolling in leaves, tromping in snow, looking at bugs...
13. If we are doing things "right" and things are going well, they become adolescents who challenge us.
Children need us. They need us to understand their developmental phases so we don't expect them to act in ways they cannot and then punish them when they don't. They will do what we do/model, not what we say. This is an awesome power and responsibility. So when we look to the next generation to save us, we'd better look in the mirror at what we are teaching them to value.
What is our goal for our children? To be like us? To fit in? To succeed in places we failed? To be safe? I believe it is best for everyone if the goal is to help them develop into adults who are not afraid to be true to who they are, whether that fits in with what we think they should be or not. I hope they will learn to think critically and form their own opinions. I pray that I will not limit their circle of empathy. I hope they will travel to other places and learn other people's stories, other ways to view the world. I am sad that money and power are the only goals seen as worthwhile in our country, and am sadder that the dependence on money and the skewed reward system in our society limits the dreams of many. I worry that they share their data so freely with companies that are manipulating them. This is bad enough for adults, but children are more easily manipulated and more damaged by the dark side of social media.
Adolescence is a time of maturation. Lopez uses “adolescence” as a derogatory term for a period of self gratification, but in my mind, it is where our salvation is to be found. How can we embrace the wisdom of nature and the ways other cultures have found to interact within it, if not to allow the child who is not yet conquered by fear of failure, not yet entrenched in the worn out paths to economic “success” at the expense of the climate, the land and all species including our own, to forge a new path free of our bias?
In other words, we need them.
And just as a PS. In order to help children, we need to meaningfully support families- not just the 1950s model nuclear family, not just heterosexual parents, not just Christian families, but families of all shapes, colors and sizes. I saw a terrible bumper sticker today. It was a "coexist" one - you know the one with all different religious symbols. But added to the top were the words: "Jesus didn't teach us to..." Shame on you. Jesus certainly didn't teach "limited" love. (Okay my rant is over). But we can't claim to support children while truly only supporting the few who meet certain criteria. This will only lead to a self perpetuating cycle of privilege and lack, of hatred and exclusion in the name of some ism... Speaking of isms, it isn't "socialism" to support families. If you really believe that unfettered capitalism is the "American way," then we will have to get rid of child labor laws, minimum wage, social security, medicare, medicaid, the Veterans Affairs committee, public education, public parks including national, state and local parks. Let's not forget we will unregulate utilities and no more public roads. There will be no clean air act, endangered species act, or clean water regulations. This is just to name a few of the publicly sponsored programs in our country. Republicans and Democrats have historically disagreed on what amount of government regulation is appropriate and the back and forth has been useful. But the idea that there should be either NO regulation or complete state ownership of all of the means of production has not been nor is it now consistent with the idea of a democracy.
As per the Merriam- Webster Dictionary:
(Socialism vs. Social Democracy: Usage Guide
In the many years since socialism entered English around 1830, it has acquired several different meanings. It refers to a system of social organization in which private property and the distribution of income are subject to social control, but the conception of that control has varied, and the term has been interpreted in widely diverging ways, ranging from statist to libertarian, from Marxist to liberal. In the modern era, "pure" socialism has been seen only rarely and usually briefly in a few Communist regimes. Far more common are systems of social democracy, now often referred to as democratic socialism, in which extensive state regulation, with limited state ownership, has been employed by democratically elected governments (as in Sweden and Denmark) in the belief that it produces a fair distribution of income without impairing economic growth.
Communism and socialism are both frequently contrasted with capitalism and democracy, though these can be false equivalencies depending on the usage. Capitalism refers to an economic system in which a society’s means of production are held by private individuals or organizations, not the government, and where products, prices, and the distribution of goods are determined mainly by competition in a free market. As an economic system, it can be contrasted with the economic system of communism, though as we have noted, the word communism is used of both political and economic systems. Democracy refers not to an economic system but to a system of government in which supreme power is vested in the people and exercised through a system of direct or indirect representation which is decided through periodic free elections.
The word democracy most often refers to a form of government in which people choose leaders by voting.
A democratic system of government is a form of government in which supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodic free elections.
Peace out.
Further Reading:
"Horizon" or any other book by Barry Lopez
"Behave: The Biology of Humans at our Best and Worst."Robert Sapolsky
"The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma" Bessel Van Der Kolk MD
"Our Wild Calling: How Connecting with Animals can transform our lives and save theirs." Richard Louv
Playlist: Wordknerrd blog #4: Teach Your Children
"Stop blowing holes in my ship!" Captain Jack Sparrow
"I am the Lorax, I speak for the trees, which you seem to be chopping as fast as you please..." Dr Seuss
"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to
everything else in the Universe.” John Muir
There has been an increase in the number of Tree "Care" businesses in our area.
There has been an increase in the number of trees being cut down in my neighborhood and in the surrounding area.
The above two things are correlated but I don't know which is cause and which is effect. I am also not sure what propaganda is being spread, but I feel a need to share some facts about trees and why we should save them (or replant a young one if the mature ones are causing danger to our houses):
1. Trees help us fight climate change by "inhaling carbon dioxide" and storing it in themselves and the soil around them. They also provide shade for our houses, reducing the cost (and thus the use of climate damaging fuels) to cool our houses. They cool our cities too.
2. Trees provide oxygen necessary for all aerobic life (including humans). They were a necessary prerequisite for the evolution of our species.
3. Trees help prevent the erosion of the soil and contribute to healthy soil both when they are alive through the fungi and other microorganisms living with them as well as after their deaths when they decay and return to the soil.
4. Trees provide homes and protection for wildlife and increase the area's biodiversity.
5. Trees provide privacy.
6. Trees emit volatile organic compounds (phytoncides) that reduce anxiety and depression in humans as well as enhancing our immune systems when we spend time around them.
7. Trees are aesthetically pleasing- even seeing trees out your window lowers cortisol levels (stress hormone) and increases productivity.
8. Trees provide food for animals including humans: (maple syrup, apples, peaches, oranges etc, etc).
9. Trees provide healing remedies (birch bark has salicylates for example). There are many tree species lost before we can even learn what they were contributing to our health and to their ecosystems.
10. Trees reduce pollution from the air and water.
11. Groups of trees are superorganisms that communicate and assist each other.
12. Children NEED trees. (see separate post for details).
13. Trees increase property values.
14. When trees fall or need to be taken down they can be used for firewood, tables, or even little free library bases:)
15. Trees can be harvested responsibly to be used for furniture, as building supplies, for paper, and even for Christmas trees. (Wood can also be "reclaimed" for some of these purposes.) Responsible harvesting is the opposite of clear cutting them from the wilderness with no regard for the rest of the ecosystem that depends on them and with no plan to replace them -as was/is done in much of Europe, Asia and North America since "there were so many we could never use them all," or replacing them with a monoculture of trees- as is done in much of South America to feed our desire for palm oil- check your ingredients list on many processed foods.
16. Add your own facts, references and songs:)
Peace out...
For references and further reading please see the following links:
https://www.treehugger.com/facts-about-trees-4868798 (I especially like fact 8).
https://www.arborday.org/trees/treefacts/
Spotify playlist at smknerr: "Tree hugger- Wordknerrd blog #3"
