What Manner of Beings?
I have to wonder as I sit here on this warm spring day about who we are, what we have become, and I ask myself, what is the answer, how do we reverse the trend—how do we become human beings again?
What Manner of Beings?
What manner of beings are we when
we think of wild flowers as weeds,
trees as board feet,
rivers as commodities to be harnessed,
open space as prime land to be developed,
historic buildings as being in the way of progress?
What manner of beings are we when
we neglect our children,
throw away our elderly,
turn our backs on the homeless,
allow hate to thrive,
look away when we see someone wronged?
What manner of beings are we now
that we have lost respect for ourselves,
for others,
for beasts and birds,
for the finned ones that dwell in the sea,
for this living, breathing planet
that sustains us?
What manner of beings are we?
Vi Jones
©May 27, 2006
posted by Vi Jones @ 9:44 AM
10 comments
The 
10 Comments:
This is a good wakening piece, as I have been wondering the same thing. What artefacts will they find from us? What precious things have we made?
Thanks for these thoughts, and Faucon this would be awful if it was so, wouldn't it?
What artifacts indeed? What will archaeologists of the future make out of this time? The way humanity is headed, I wonder if there will be anything to find ... will there even be archaeologists, unless they come from another place ... somewhere out there in space with their probes and landing craft. Maybe they'll figure out our foolishness, our lack of resepct for what we have, and our love of useless wars. Maybe they will figure it out and wonder why.
Vi
I was talking to some others about this today, and they had been wondering similar things. Yes, the question begs to be asked!
I ask these same questions sometimes, but am at a loss for any definite answers. Living in the moment is the only way I can see to get myself back on track instead of living so unconsciously.
I heard a scholar on NPR the other day predicting that the world as we know it hasn't got a chance to recover from our neglect and misuse. That was disheartening when I think of my grandhildren and their children's future. If they ask what I did, I can answer that I supported environmental causes and voted accordingly. That seems like not much but it is something. Also I have tried to recycle, buy recycled products, use environmentally correct substances, drive a reasonable car, etc. And I have "taught my children well" to borrow words from the wonderful Crosby, Stills and Nash song, and I am happy to see that my daughters are being even more conscientious than I. But there are so many who are inconsiderate. I watched a driver ahead of me last month throw a cigarette out the car window in Sarasota even though there was a serious drought with many fires. What a jerk, I thought. But I dared not say or do anything - he might have a shotgun in the vehicle. What a sad commentary on our modern lives. NRA is more effective than all the environmental groups combined.
I look in the mirrors that hang here at Soul Food and see beings who are not lemmings but who are valiantly battling against the tide, determined to walk the paths less travelled, tring to make a difference. It is this truth that enables me to continue in the face of so much adversity and suffering.
And, I know it is of little import but John Milton mourned similarly Vi.
I mourn for not only what I'm seeing disappearing every day, but for the children ... the future generations. What a mess we are leaving for them.
Al Gore's film, An Inconvenient Truth was released this weekend. It's a frightening commentary on global warming. The sad part is that it is being shown at only a few theatres, and those who are going to make the effort to see it are those who are aware of the problem and are doing what they can to turn things around.
Thank you all for the discussion here.
Vi
What Heather says is interesting too because John Milton's poem is hugely discussed today, as it was in his lifetime, Paradise Lost. I don't think folks took it seriously, and there were many writers addressing the same questions, like "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Coleridge. Vi, I believe if enough people care, things will be preserved. I agree with Heather, that each one here is committed to something they believe in, which is a great thing.
Sorry to have missed that show Lois. There is a brilliant one called "Time Team" on CH. 2 Tuesdays at 6pm and it goes for an hour, each week. Lots of interesting things are discovered.
The whole ecological crisis disturbs me, Vi. I think so many people are disconnected from the natural world they can't even see what's happening. The only hope is for each person to do and say what they can. There's a good on-line site www.care2.com where you can click to donate. They also have some dandy petitions to sign and easy ways to contact polititians. Don't give up hope, Vi, for every problem in the world there are people working to solve it. We just need to find them and add our drop to their bucket.
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