Today is Earth Day and i will undoubtedly shed a few tears today. (Today, with the following, I’m telling you like it is, and not merely singing about daisies and butterflies.) The ability to have very accurate premonitions runs in our family; my mother had it and i seem to have a strong dose of it too. When i was in high school (in around 1966) i had a premonition that humans would quickly ruin the earth with excessive manmade pollutants. Yesterday, the very intelligent Fareed Zakaria had the famous environmentalist Bill McKibben on, as part of his show. Bill, 30 years ago, wrote a book — the first book about global warming — warning about the threats of manmade pollution; since then, he says that little has been done to change things for the better. Arctic ice is 50% gone and the oceans are 30% more acidic. We all need to change and do more to change things. Additionally, it is far more prudent/globally-compassionate to stay local and not go long distances for vacations and entertainment.
(Down below is a link to the conversation between Fareed and Bill.)
If i had a magic wand
that would
when waved
make people
care
understand
look without separation
clean up the environment (that they are)
and look without a false center…
i’d use it
No such
magic wand
from any mystical magic shop
exists
but that doesn’t mean
that real magic can’t happen
Real magic can happen
Profound mysteries of life assure you
real magic can happen
Ants Caring for the Aphids that they herd and that they milk like cows … Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2019
https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2019/04/21/exp-gps-0421-mckibben-full.cnn
Tom's Nature-up-close Photography and Mindfulness Blog 
I’m with you, Tom.
So good, and thank you, Ken!
Most people, unfortunately, don’t care enough or just don’t care.
Your poem is perfect. ❤
Much appreciated, Donna! I hope it helped some to open their eyes.
I too wish I had a magic wand.
Yes, Sandy, such powerful wands (to really environmentally influence masses of people) are rather nonexistent, as far as i have seen.
Right now, it is the fossil fuel industries that “seem” to have all of the power.
And what an unfortunate thing that is.
I didn’t have a premonition as you did Tom, but it is pretty obvious that all signs indicating our environmental collapse lead to man’s utter recklessness, carelessness, greediness, and outright negligence to protect and conserve our environment and it’s resources. 😦 This didn’t just happen, it’s been evolving for years now…all in the name of progress??? Mother Nature is tired and worn out. What she once provided fruitfully, we see evidence of production slowing down, headed for extinction. Those who should be listening are turning a deaf ear and blind eye to the seriousness of this cause!
Yes, Kym, the weather is getting more and more violent, with crazy winds, tornadoes, hurricanes, massive forest fires, dying coral reefs/oceans, and mass extinctions. I feel terrible that so many of earth’s creatures have to suffer and die because of man. Children and animals will really be suffering more in the future. People need to wake up.
You got that right Tom! 🙂
Being that our reality (as we perceive it) is built on quantum physics, I would say there is little difference between magic and our world. Good one, Tom!
Thanks much, Michael! 🙂 I used to hang around Professor David Bohm, a famous quantum physicist (whom Einstein admired). Bohm said he wished that he specialized more in philosophy and not in science.
I believe it!😃
Unfortunately you were prophetic Tom. Looking at your picture we see ants protecting aphids, two very low forms of life, whereas we humans, who fancy ourselves to be way above any other species, will kill each other over a pair or sneakers.
The ants, Linda, will be here a long time after humans are gone. (We’re above certain other species… in physical height!) 🙂
Ants milking aphids- I never would have thought.I am trying to make changes and go plastic free, but it is a process and difficult to change. It really scares me when I look at how we have polluted the earth , oceans and space.
We recycle our plastic, but i notice that a lot of people do not. The oceans are turning into plastic reservoirs.
When I read your poem, all I could think of was this Jimmy Buffett song. It’s a little different from much of his stuff, and it really seems to be relevant to our Earth Day concerns. Living “straight from the heart” is part of what’s needed.
Yes, Linda! 🙂
I like the Rush song Closer to the Heart.
I am despondent most of the time about the tragic abuse and mishandling of our natural resources. Thanks for another reality check, Tom.
It’s sad, isn’t it, Jane! Looks like people are not changing radically enough (so far). The current U.S. so-called government is a very poor example for other so-called countries. We need a new, compassionate world order, but i don’t think people are serious enough.
I get up early every Sunday and watch Fareed! Saw the interview and will check if the library has the book. I’m with you on the environment. I try to keep my footprint reasonable, but it sometimes seems so hopeless when greed and thirst for power always seem to come out ahead. But nonetheless I will continue on, doing what I can to make my difference. Great post, Tom!
Fareed is an awesome human being! Yes, greed and their insatiable thirst for power always do seem to be “in control.” Too many just “let that happen”! At least you are very concerned and you are “trying,” Sabine. 🙂 That is all that you can do. We must remain the light in all of the darkness.
Better late than never, I believe we are finally seeing some movement and momentum towards curbing our harmful effects on our planet. Maybe because folks are finally hearing things as catastrophic news, not tree-huggers’ laments. People can see in satellite photos the drastic shrinking of the ice caps. And fortunately, the topic gets enough response that some of the media world is seeing the subject as worthy. That helps spread the catastrophic news to all those ostriches that have been chugging bottled water and buying bigger trucks. Over the last couple of years, I was getting rather morose about the condition of our world and the future for its inhabitants (my concerns are more for wildlife than humans).
As a conservation community, we have seen some wins recently. Some very bad trends have leveled or even started to turn, and at least some politicians are voting in favor of conservation and the environment.
It seems as though we’re taking it down to the wire.
Let’s hope and work toward turning this around.
Paz