Nature was especially kind to me today ...
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Today's beauty is divided into two folders:
March 11, 2009 Manatees - the manatees have returned to Safety Harbor ... at least twelve of them, two of which are babies
March 11, 2009 Eagle & Rays - the Philippe Park bald eagle, a close encounter with a ray, a snake, spider, and a spinning manatee
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...you who teach others, do you teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?
Romans 2:21-22
I look upon this world and marvel at the beauty. I look at this world and mourn for the damage which we have all done. I watched a movie about World War II yesterday and I did not see heroes and villians, just humankind driven insane by violence and children killing children (see Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse Five).
Who can teach peace to humankind? Who can bring an end to all of humankind's warfare, violence, destruction and pollution?
Perhaps religion can help? Religious people are just as violent and destructive as everyone else. Perhaps an end to religion would help? Atheists are just as violent and destructive as everyone else.
We are here dealing with a problem which transcends religion, politics, economics, philosophy, spirituality, science, technology and psychology.
So I conclude that the battle is already lost and that humankind's fate is sealed. Time will tell, as they say. The Universe is very old and humankind is extremely young.
I would direct everyone's attention to the looming threat of extinction but this is not a powerful enough message to provoke any change in lifestyle from humankind (yes, the species ... individual virtuous acts are not sufficient when there are 6.5 billion humans and the population continues to boom on towards an inevitable population bust).
Humankind is quickly running out of time. Use whatever time is left wisely. Live peacefully. Devote your attention to beauty and try, as much as is possible, to live peacefully with everyone and Nature, too.
I'll devote my attention to Nature's beauty while I wait for humankind to save itself. Should humankind not choose to save itself, I'll devote my attention to Nature's beauty certain that Nature will recover even if humankind cannot.
David Mathews
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