It’s easy to feel defeated. The news is filled with the headline-worthy atrocities humans inflict on one another and on the planet. I remember growing up, I was regularly horrified as I learned about another new way everything was wrong in the world. Apartheid, the Cold War, chlorofluorocarbons and the Ozone Layer, the Lebanese Civil War, homophobia, female circumcision, sex trafficking, serial killers, factory farming, Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners around the globe. It was all too much. But I was young and spirited and became involved in activism. Sadly little seems to have changed. And has grown worse, really, in many ways. As I’ve gotten older I’ve realized I was trying to change symptoms when the root problems need to be addressed. Over and over again the main culprit seems to be capitalism. Young people like Greta Thunberg give me some hope:
School climate strikes: 1.4 million people took part, say campaigners - Activist Greta Thunberg, 16, says action proved ‘no one is too small to make a difference’ and Greta Thunberg calls for ‘system change not climate change’
The system that needs to be changed to avert climate disaster is capitalism, which is losing its legitimacy largely due to the system’s failure to respond effectively to climate change.
How About Five Satisfying Things, Related to Nature?
- See the first supermoon on the spring equinox in 19 years. Look up while it lasts: This particular cosmic coincidence won’t come again until 2030.
- Release the bats! Two Antique Portuguese Libraries Use Live Bats as Insect Repellant
- Misophonia is not satisfying. I’ve lived with it as long as I can remember and have had to swallow my rage more times than I can remember. But I’m relieved it is finally getting more attention, in the media and world at large. The most relatable content. Misophonia: When Life’s Noises Drive You Mad
- NYC Parks Are Using a Designer’s ‘Tree Font’ to Plant Secret Messages with Real Trees
- “I Thought I Was Going Mad:†Pensioner Catches A Mouse That Kept Cleaning His Shed On A Trail Cam
Oh, and Happy Equinox! We got an early start on Sunday, spending the day on a friend’s goat farm (said friend pictured below). From the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy online:
Astrological and Cultural Significance of the Vernal Equinox
Throughout the history of mankind, the Vernal Equinox has been a time of celebration for many civilisations. For some, it signified the passing of the old year and the rebirth of the new and has, for a long time, been considered the beginning of the Pagan New Year, when the Sun reaches the First Point of Aries (2,500 years ago this was at the Cardinal, Fire Sign of Aries, the Ram). It was a celebration of the return of the Sun God from the winter underworld. The Lupercalian fertility festival also took place during the Vernal Equinox. Likewise, Easter - originating from the ancient Germanic fertility festival Ostara in honour of the goddess of spring, Eostre, but is nowadays all about fluffy bunnies and chocolate eggs - celebrations take place on the first Sunday following the full moon that occurs on or following the Vernal Equinox, when the barrenness of Winter is overcome by the fertility that comes with Spring.
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