Earth Week

In this time when more and more of us become aware of the impact that we have on our planet, I realize how selfish of a species we have been. There is a line in the movie "The Matrix" when one of the "Men in Black" says: "Humans are like a virus. They multiply and destroy everything around them" (or close to those words). That line always struck with me. How did we get to this point? Did just the ability to think, lead us to this behavior? Why do we think that we are not One with Nature but above it? All other aspects of our world seems to live in synergy, taking and giving back in a balanced act. We just keep on taking and do not think one second that we have to give back anything. And despite of a mountain of scientific evidence, still some think that most of us are just overreacting and that the planet will regulate itself. What if it does not. Do we really want to take the chance and find out when it is too late that we could and should have done something? The planet could get rid of what is destroying it altogether. We think that with our technological advances we can control our environment when Nature has shown us time and time again that we are powerless against it. We still cannot predict tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes...etc. We have warnings that we can read better now, but is that enough? We do not measure up against the formidable force that is Nature. So instead of trying to find ways to harness something that cannot be tamed, it seems more logical to me that we learn to live in harmony with it.
It is sad that we need Earth Day or Earth Week to have people think of the planet. Everyday should be Earth Day. With everything we do, we should think "What impact will my actions have on the world?". The problem is that we see ourselves as individuals. "What damage could little me do to the Big World?" We forget that there are now billions of little me thinking the same way and affecting our climate and the world we live in, like never before. So I have to start with the little me and hope that all other little me in the world will do their individual part. I cannot expect to make a big change on my own. It is the sum of all little changes that will make a difference.
A Native American proverb says: "We did not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children".
Would we like it if someone gave back to us something that they borrowed, after they broke it?

Too much

The Pope arrived yesterday in Washington DC. He flew from Italy on Shepherd One and landed at Andrews Air Force Base in the afternoon. He brought over several of his Popemobiles which he will be using during his six day visit..... I don't even know where to go with that. This is just too funny.

The same but different

On Friday, my friend Joanne drove down from Los Angeles to spend the day with me. (To know who Joanne is, go back to my entries "Hong Kong in 40 hours" in December 07, and "Summer in January" in January 08). The weather was hot and beautiful and we had such a great day.
I love spending time with Joanne and talking with her. You always surround yourself with like minded people. People who tend to view the world and life in general, the same way you do (or close to it). At first, Joanne would not be one of those persons. We have different views on a lot of things; religion, politics, life... What is great though is that she is not closed minded and is able to have a conversation and listen to your arguments and share her point of view with you. Maybe it is just the two of us together. We are able to do that in a non threatening way. We are just trying to understand why the other thinks that way. I do not try to convince her that I am right and vice versa. It is an exchange. We go back an forth with points and counterpoints. Sometimes it gets clear why we think a certain way about something, sometimes we get stumped. And that is okay. I would give a good argument and she would say, "Okay, I see why you say that. Let me think about it and I will get back to you". And we go on with our conversation. We might or might not come back to that same point, but if we do because she has more questions or she has more insight on the topic, then there we go again. And I might realize that her argument is completely valid. That does not necessarily means that I am changing my point of view on a specific issue, but it helps me understand why she would see things a different way. It gives both of us an insight on the thinking process of the other person. I think that the more we talk, the more we realize how similar we are. Our values and the way we live our lives might be different, but once you look past the surface and do that without judgement, we actually are quite alike....