I am a fan of Harry Potter, a brave young wizard fighting against the evil dark lord. Nearly every witch or wizard does not dare to utter the unmentionable name – Voldemort – instead referring to him as “you-know-who” or “he who must not be named”. Yes, the dark lord is scary but not everyone was frozen with fright. Harry and his young friends, encouraged by Dumbledore and other brave souls, refused to give up hope. I realize Harry is just the product of exceptional writing and a very creative imagination. J. K. Rowling came to mind as I was “raking” my mind for this weeks message. As unbelievable as wizards may be they are utilized to weave a fascinating story. Today, in our country a perhaps equally impossible set of facts keep us all glued to the news. We live in a breaking story world that might be stranger than fiction. I trust that we can count on the words of Supergirl, we must protect “Truth, Justice, and the American Way”.
I had an interesting conversation with a friend this week. We were talking about when it was appropriate to get involved in other people’s issues and when you should stay on the sidelines. The guideline he uses is that you stand down if it is “not your circus and not your monkey”. It seems to me a good analogy for making those decisions. Is it an analogy or perhaps a metaphor – regardless the point is clear, we all have a stake in this current political game and need to be actively involved. It is our circus and the people involved are our friends.
The earth is warming – we should not let the “ostrich leadership” distract us for even a minute. International and our own scientists agree. This is our planet and the consequences at even the moderate level of warming definitely affect “our circus”. The ostrich cannot run backward especially with its head in the sand. We should likely look to hummingbirds for flexibility as they are the only birds that can fly backwards. The ultimate survivors may be the snail who can live up to three years in their shell if the environment is threatening. Maybe they can be the canary in our coal mine? A frog can jump up to 45 feet, a group of them is an “Army” and the wood frog can freeze completely and return to normal as they thaw.
All of these adaptation may be important for humans if we don’t take care of our home.
“Only in the darkness can you see the stars” said Martin Luther King.
Enjoy the week end. Mike