Noah - Global Warming 1.0

Noah is the story of the Great Flood that destroyed the earth. We all know the story and it has been retold by storytellers and movie makers for eons. Humans are all sinners and God has to destroy the world and start over. He chooses Noah as the savior of all creation. Note that early on God instructs him to find 7 pairs of each creature, etc, for the Ark. Later, however, he actually gathers only one pair, male and female, presumably because the Ark was not big enough for 7 pairs, or he decided that 7 pairs was just ridiculous and one pair would be fine. Who knows really.

The great flood is included within the folklore of nearly every tribe that lived in the Middle East and there is real scientific evidence that it may have happened. The Noah thing perhaps not so much.

The time was near the end of the Ice Age some 6000 - 8000 years ago. Mesopotamia and Eden, located as mentioned in my last post, were the cradles of "modern" civilization. The area was reasonbly heavily populated and was much more lush than it is today. See discussions on Egypt in a later text. So to the writers of the time, this area was "the World."

First lets look at a map of the Mediterranean Sea area and the Middle East. Go get a map or pull one up on your computer. Just go to Google Maps and enter Mediterranean Sea. That will allow you to focus in on certain areas if you wish. Go ahead, I'll wait . . . . . . . . . . .

There are 4 very tight straits surrounding the Middle East:

1. The Stait of Gibralter between Spain and Morroco leading into the Mediterranean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean. Of course the Rock of Gibralter sits in the middle as a reminder to when this strait was closed off and the two continents were connected.
2. The Strait of Aden at the Arabian Sea, between Djibouti in Africa and Yemen leading from the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean into the Red Sea. Note that there is a residual penninsula and several small islands denoting where these two areas were once connected.
3. The straits between the United Arab Emerates and Iran leading from the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean into the Persian Gulf, where Eden was and where Mesopotamia was at the north end. Again, the UAE still nearly reaches across this narrow passageway.
4. The many small straits in Turkey that lead from the Mediterranean Sea to the Black Sea.

So the theory goes that once upon a time these were all connected land bridges and that inside these basins that are now seas lived many many people on dry land, protected from the higher oceans by these natural dams. As the ice sheets melted, however, the ocean levels rose until nearly simultaneously they breached these natural dams. The resulting massive rush of water into the Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea and Persian Gulf killed thousands and just as milk spashes out of a bowl if poured too fast into one side, the tsunamai-like waves of water would have rushed violently up the far sides of each of these seas, well up onto what is now dry land. There is a theory that the Caspian Sea, a body of water with no outflows fed by fresh water rivers, was partially filled by this on-rush of ocean water, explaining in part its somewhat high salinity, but who really cares. The water would have eventually receded, but not before there was mass destruction and death, including the complete and total destruction of Eden. All theories, but you can see how it makes a lot of sense.

There is quite a bit of archaeological evidence of established societies at the bottoms of the Mediterranean Sea and of the Black Sea, indicating that the rush into those bodies of water was not as swift as it was up the Persian Gulf and Red Sea valleys. There is very little evidence of prior civilizations in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf, though there is some indicating the flooding was massive. The story of Atlantis is considered by some to have been based upon the destruction of the society living in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. 

Sooo, did Noah exist. Despite the existance of a structure well up in the Turkish mountains that no one has been allowed to investigate, it is likely that the story is just another way to show the Chosen People that God protects them, and to indicate that God will protect the non-sinners and we should behave as people. This was well before Abraham and the designation "Chosen" but Abraham and all of the Hebrews were traced descendents of Noah.

Personally, I think this was just one of those mass extinction events that the story-tellers had to explain to those who asked, "What kind of God would allow this to happen?" That is by far the most difficult theological question of all time. Of course the Noah story became a huge success and was undoubtedly elaborated upon over the years even through today and the creativity of our modern movie-makers.

Anyway, I thought that was kinda interesting. Bottom line, at least arguably God had little to do with the Great Flood. Luckily the new flooding as a result of current Global Warming will likely be comparatively more gradual. Other than the edges of Holland, there are no areas like this where a nearly simultaneous breach of several sea walls will create such massive and immediate death and destruction. So we got that going for us anyway . . .

Thoughts on the Bible

My daughter told me the other day that she intended to read the Bible. I have read the vast majority of it and much if it many times and I have read a lot about how the Bible was written and why. So I thought I would share my thoughts a little at a time, just the bore the pants off the rest of you.

First, the concept of writing for historical purposes is less than 1,000 years old. Prior to that and throughout the Jewish traditions, stories were told to convey images and messages, and NOT as a recounting of historical fact. The entire Bible was written in this manner. Today, we have a hard time with this. We figure if they bothered to write down events, they must have been writing them down to preserve them through time for future generations so that they could learn from them. The latter is certainly true, but the former is not.

It is also important to note that nearly all, if not all, of the heroes and heroins in the Bible were illiterate. So what was written was written by third party authors; all of whom were certainly men and probably with a perspective of their own. Most of the Old Testament was written down during the time of Jewish exile in Babylon from oral traditions. (Some of the information on kings was noted as having been written contemporaneously and some of the prophets came later.) During this time the Jews were trying to keep their people together and away from the temptations of the Babylonians, so stories were elaborated upon to create greatness in the Jewish God over all others.

In the Beginning . . .
So the Bible opens with two separate creations stories that are internally inconsistent to the point of being impossible. That is OK! They were not intended to be literal recounts of what happened. After all no one was actually there.

The first story tells of God creating the heavens and the earth, the sun, and the next things, etc, then animals, etc, and finally humans, male and female at the same time, who then name all the animals and plants, etc. At the time, the religions of competing tribes worshipped elements of nature as their gods: the sun, the moon, the stars, rain, etc. In this story the Jewish people show the world that the Jewish God CREATED all of their gods and is therefore greater still then them. Pretty creative, huh?

The famous Adam & Eve story came much later. This is clearly NOT the creation of the world and of humans, because after Cain kills Abel he goes to Nod, an existing town filled with people, and finds a wife and settles down there. Theorists contemplate that this is the story of the birth of the ancestors of the Chosen people, specially and separate from the non-Chosen people. Yes they were "kicked out" of the Garden, but this happened because they had been gifted with the great and special knowledge of the Gods' Tree of Life. The serpent may not be as bad as advertised and perhaps they were not really kicked out, but born, which can be traumatic.

Note that in this story it is "Gods" not God, and they speak among themselves and use terms like "we" instead of "I". That is a hard one for Jews and others. Who were these other gods?

There is no "original sin" in the Jewish telling of this story. That is a Christian contemplation that came hundreds of years after the Bible was even compiled for the first time, which happened over 500 years after Christ's death. Eating the fruit just meant they could not stay in the Garden. It is not clearly a bad thing in many Jewish interpretations. Afterall, this is their story from their part of the book.

Side note: Based on analysis of satelites and the descriptions of the Garden in the Bible, including its location at the intersection of 4 great rivers, Eden was likely actually located under what is now the Persian Gulf, wiped out by the great flood, which we will get to in a next installment.

The other great thing about the Old Testament and in particular the part referred to as the Torah, is that it is argued about constantly by Jewish scholars and non-scholars alike. This, in their minds, was God's point in the creation of these stories for them, to generate individual thought and scholarly disagreement. Just as a great painter never tells her viewers what was intended by her abstract colors and angles, but leaves that to each person's own interpretation, so do the Jews believe that the stories of the Bible were created to force us to expand our minds - to use the gifts of the Tree of Life.

Note that the Chosen people are all descendants of the third son, Seth, who hardly anyone knows about, who also took wives from among women who already existed in the world, not a sister. The incredibly long lives listed next are the ages of the various tribes of the descendants of Seth headed by the named individual. Just as the descendants of Israel are called Israelites and the descendants of Judah, one of the 12 tribes of Israel, are now referred to as the Jews. The years are of course not important. They just refer to a long time and the relative importance of each clan. The longer a tribe was able to claim it had lasted, the more important it was in stature, whether it really lasted that long of not.

Take all of this with a grain of salt, except the part where you are to read the stories and debate what they mean until they mean something to you personally, for that was their purpose.

More next time, whenever that is.

Easter - What is it Really About?

As we approach the Easter Season I was contemplating what this season really is all about for me. I am a doubter as to the resurrection itself, preferring the well-formulated theory of German theologian, Holger Kersten, that Jesus' friends saved him from the cross and that his subsequent appearances were really of the "recovered Jesus" rather than a risen one. Does that matter? Actually I think it makes the story stronger.

So if it is not about a miraculous rising of a dead demi-God, how could Easter retain real spiritual value for me?

Judaism is about stories. Jesus and his followers were of course Jews. The factuality of the stories is less relevant than the point of the story. 

The point of this story is that no matter how blameless we may be, no matter our motives, intentions or the sincerity of our actions, we will all go through times of suffering, just as did Jesus, who was found to be sinless and blameless by his own accusers. At times that suffering will seem insurmountable, so much so that we may feel that our higher power, our God, our Harmony of souls, or whatever you may be comfortable believing in, has deserted us, just as Jesus did when he cried out in pain, "Father, why have you foresaken me?" (though he said it in Arameic not proper English.)

The story shows us that no matter the pain or the suffering, we can handle it. With the help of our friends and family, we can get through it. We can rise again. We can be resurrected from our suffering. We can be renewed.

We will live through difficult times. We will rise from the depths each time, with the help of others. We will be reborn into a life of joy and happiness, each time.

That, to me, is the story of Easter. Then the Spring comes. The grass turns from brown to green. The trees blossom and then leaf out into summer splendor. The flowers bloom. The birds sing. The animals scurry about finding a mate to perpetuate their species. The world is resurrected yet again from the frozen grey grips of winter.

And, of course, the Easter Bunny comes and brings us colored eggs and chocolate bunnies and other yummy things. (I think that story is in Acts . . . well maybe not).

Love to all. We shall all suffer and we shall all be resurrected many times over.

Advice to My Girls

My life has been a series of ups and downs, as all lives are. No matter what you do, yours will be as well. Uncertainty is the only certain part of life. Assume, no, you should KNOW it will happen. Embrace it. BUT prepare for it!

As I look back, it is amazing how many more downs I have experienced. Abject failures really. Two failed marriages. I have been let go from three jobs, that is a nice way of saying fired though each had its own unique circumstances. As a result I have been out of work for two stretches of nearly a year each and during both stretches, homeless for a period of time. I have run two failed businesses and declared personal bankruptcy. And that is just scratching the surface.

As a result I am in debt up to my ears, make a lot of money and still live paycheck to paycheck, and have no savings or retirement saved up. I am at the bottom of my company's hierarchy with little real chance of advancement within Save A Lot. I am 54 years old with nothing to show for my professional career, I cannot help you out in your lives much and my financial future remains a complete mystery.

So why am I such a happy person?

That leads to my first advice:

• Love everyone in your life and invite into your life only people you can love. I have two ex-wives and still care deeply for both and would do anything for them. The cool thing is I am pretty sure they feel the same way. I have several former bosses and respect and care for all of them. I am pretty sure they feel the same way. I have several ex-colleagues and care for all of them. I have many acquaintances who I care deeply for as well. Former team mates, work mates, charity mates, school mates and other mates. I love them all, and even the bartender and waitress serving me here at this restaurant. And you know what, they can tell I love them and all love me back. People I have not spoken with in years call me for help and I help them. I call people I have not seen in years and they do me favors. When I needed a place to live, someone came through and provided it. When I needed a job, someone I knew provided it. When I need anything, someone has been there for me, BECAUSE I loved them and was there for them when they needed it. I helped them move, every time. I helped them connect to someone to perhaps get a job. I introduced them to that cute girl they kinda liked, even if I did not know them. I have always done whatever I could to help people out. Most important, reach out to those who no one seems to love and be their friend. Make your friends be their friend. Nothing makes lasting friendships like loving people who need to be loved; and that applies to everyone in life. Life it foremost about how many people you love and how many people love you back.
• Follow your emotions.  There are only two emotions; one makes you feel bad and the other makes you feel good. We give them many names: anger, resentment, jealousy, joy, happiness, peace, contentment. Emotions are your guide to doing what is right. If it makes you feel good, to any degree, it is right. If it makes you feel bad, to any degree, it is not right. That is what following your heart means. Do the same for others. To the extent you can, think about how what you do will give them a positive emotion, but not if it gives you a negative emotion. Smile at everyone. Greet everyone. Make eye contact with friendly eyes. Shake everyone's hand firmly and warmly and mean it. Listen to others and care about what they say. Nothing makes others feel good like other people caring about them. The way the universe of all souls communicates with you is through your emotions. Listen. They are wise.

I may be financially a mess, but I am emotionally very rich. I have the two of you, Barbara, my family and the many people I have met and love in my life. You cannot buy that. You have to earn it and it is the easiest wealth you can ever own.

On the financial side, and I wish someone had convinced me of this long ago, but I am arrogant to a fault and I am sure I did not listen if they did, so here is some advice.

• Save Money.  Having money provides freedom. Pay yourself something out of every paycheck. Take the money your mother and I send you and put it in the bank and leave it there. Invest wisely and conservatively. Make this a fervent religious practice.

• Take Risks but Be Conservative.  This does not mean do not take risks, even big ol' hairy risks. We did that in FertiGator. What I learned and advise is, in the parlance of a book I just finished, "shoot bullets first before you fire off a calibrated cannon ball." What that means is try some smaller risks first that help you to determine whether what you are considering will work, what are the problems that you can fix, what adjustments to your aim are required. Most of your little efforts will fail. The bullets will land in the dirt and miss their target. But each small failure will not cost much and will teach you things about where you are trying to go. It will help you calibrate your cannon ball. Once you figure out all the ways NOT to do it, and are confident you have the data you need to calibrate your cannonball so you will do it properly, aim it at the target, then go for it full speed ahead. Fire a big huge giant cannonball and put everything you have behind it. What we failed to do with FertiGator was shoot bullets first. We had a great product, but we made a fatal calculation error in the width of the plunger that caused it to stick. We would have known had we tested it more. We should have tried it in one market. We assumed that irrigation contractors would love this, but we found they were not capable of understanding the value or the process. We should have made it in the US first. The large volume Chinese manufacturer screwed it up over and over, killing our first year opportunities. We should have shot bullets first. We would have learned all of this with the money we raised and probably would still be in the business making millions. As important, we should have saved money for the uncertainties that were certain, and happened. We were not prepared for them.
• Smile, arrive early, stay late and work hard. Be a great team mate. If you do that, you will be so rare and desired that you will be paid more and promoted quickly. It is not about being the smartest, though you are both smart. It is about caring more than anyone thinks is wise about the company. And save money. No matter how good you are, sometimes you make your entire department so great that they leave the company for better pastures and the company no longer needs you. That happened to me at UHY Advisors. Save money for the uncertain times that WILL happen.
• Make Others Look Great in Front of the People Most Important to THEM!  Your boss may take credit for things you have done. Let them! It is their job to take credit for your work! It is not how they should do it, but they will. Take this so seriously that you give them at least some concrete credit for things you have done alone, even when they give you credit. On the other hand, when you secure a leadership role, when you are the boss, give ALL the credit to your team when your team does things well. All of it. Take ALL of the blame personally when your team fails to accomplish its goal. NEVER blame others for things that you are responsible for that do not go well, and that will absolutely happen. Do this and you will become the go-to person for the most important tasks the company needs to accomplish and your team will go overboard for you. They never want you to take the bullet ever again for their errors. Have everyone else's back. There may be small incidents that do not seem to be going your way, but in the long run everyone will know what is going on and that you are the reason things are getting done. Be the solution, never the problem. And save money. No matter what you do, a great younger employee can be a threat to those above you, and they may do what they can to get rid of you before you take their job. If you have saved money, you can handle it.
• Forgive Everyone Always and Immediately.  Accept everyone for who they are. Feel for those who are always negative. What a sucky life they lead. People who forgive, are healthier, happier and live longer. You cannot control how others are. You cannot change anyone. No one can control or effect your life UNLESS you let them. Always remember the Serenity Prayer. If you don't know it, look it up. Memorize it. Live it. And save money, because some things are outside your control.

• And Finally - Save Money. Did I mention that one. Well that is really important, so do that one.

Love you very much!

Big Questions

As we venture into the world

                We are confronted by two questions,

“How will I make a living today”, and

                “What is the meaning of life?

It is the Big Questions that humans uniquely ponder,

                “I am human, but what does that mean?”

                “I am spiritual, but what does that mean?”

“Am I a human being having a spiritual experience, or

                Am I a spiritual being having a human one?”

In Christianity there is sin and salvation,

                In Buddhism there is no sin, only harmony.

In my life there is difficulty and joy,

                I choose joy and feel guilty about that.

Religions drive war, hatred and terror,

                Yet “God” is loving, caring and merciful.

Humans crave peace and love and harmony, and yet

                We love power, competition and success.

“I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out.”

                “It is not an auto race without a fiery crash.”

Yin and yang are as natural as all of nature.

                The bell curve represents all in the world.

Good and bad, evil and holy, war and peace, strong and weak

                Are all essential to balance and harmony.

What is God?

                Is there a heaven?

                                Is there a right and wrong?

                                                Are there universal truths?

                                                                Is there one path for me or many?

What are the answers to the Big Questions?

                Perhaps they are those that bring us personal joy, peace and harmony,

                                Even if to others they seem violent, painful or crazy.

Well back to making a living . . .

Love

God is love.

When you share the deepest of all loves with someone,

                You are in spirit with them,

                                In harmony with them,

                                                Connected with them,

But you share something so much more,

                Something divine that cannot be explained.

When you are together all is right in the world.

                There is no place on earth you would rather be.

                                Warmth pours through you.

                                                Dreams are at once real and surreal. 

We call this person a soul mate.

                They are entwined with our soul.

                                We are enmeshed in theirs.

Whether our physical bodies are together or apart,

Our spirits are never separated.

Being with Barbara makes my spirit dance.

                When I hear her cheery voice, my soul soars.

When I hold her and kiss her, my world becomes so simple.

                I love her dearly and all else will figure itself out.

This is God.

                The connection of all souls to all others,

                                And a uniquely deep connection of two souls to one another,

Within the infinitely abundant cosmic harmony of spirit, nature, physics and life.

I say that all things are temporary.

                I feel, though, that our spirit is infinite.

I feel that when you meet your soul mate,

                A true deeply connected soul mate,

The fusion of spirit shared by Barbara and me,

                That is infinite too.

I am looking forward to infinity . . . one day at a time.

The Mirror

I was listening to a book on CD and

the author told me to look in the mirror and

tell myself that I am wonderful.

So I did.

What is wonderful, I thought.

What is a wonderful person?

                Do I know anyone who is wonderful?

Perhaps I do.

Who are they?

They love everyone unconditionally:

                Those they know well, know a little, have only just met, have yet to meet and will never meet.

                Those who disagree with them, with whom they disagree and those who are downright mean.

They know that love is inside them.

                Something to give to others.

                                Something they do not need back.

                                                But likely will receive nonetheless.

They know that they need not like those they love.

                That they bring everyone they meet into their lives for a reason.

                                No one can harm or discourage them unless they let him do so.

As a corollary, they do not judge anyone ever:

They know everyone is on his or her own journey following his or her own path.

              It is not their place to judge her on that path, nor what he believes, says or thinks.

They know their own path is one of peace.

                Something to share with others.           

                                Something they do not need back.

                                                But likely will receive nonetheless.

They know that each person’s path is her own.

                They know they bring people with odd paths into their lives for a reason.

                                No journeyer can deflect them from their path unless they let him do so.

They do not care a whit what others think of them:

                They know following their path is their journey for their enlightenment.

                It is not the place of others to judge or interpret or interrupt their path.

They know their own path is theirs alone.

                Sometimes shared with others they let in.          

                                A sharing they do not need back.

                                                But likely will receive nonetheless.

They wear what they want for themselves.

                They eat what they want for it is right for them.

                                They listen to their heart alone for directions.

No one can deflect them from their path unless THEY let her do so.

 

And they are always happy. They know what is right because it makes them so.

The mirror looked back at me.

                “Can you be that person?” it asked.

“I will be that person.” I replied.

Then I finished brushing my teeth . . .

Joy

The music plays wistfully in the background.

The sun glows brightly in the sky.
Barbara flits about preparing for work.
Big hug and kiss and she is out the door.

My mind wanders, as it is wont to do,

To ponder the world, the spirits and the universe and
The music plays quietly in the background.

I learned that DNA gives off electro-magnetic signals all the time.

                We can sense them.
All life gives off pheromones into the world around us,
                We can sense them.
I have known for years that we are part of a universal harmony of all things.
                We can sense this.
We feel comfort with no reason. We sense fear for no reason. We love for no reason. We join for no reason. We talk to a stranger for no reason. We act for no reason.
                Other than that we know, in our hearts, it is the right thing to do.
It is in harmony with the universe, and
The music plays boldly in the background.

When we are connected into the harmony of all things

We attract into our lives those things we really really want,

if we know that we can,

and have the faith to act.

We know it is the right thing to do

                Because it brings us happiness to do it, and

The music plays joyfully in the background.

Connecting means

Awareness,

                Thoughtfulness,

                                Belief without doubt,

                                                Knowing,

                                                                Trusting,

Dreams,

                Desires,

                                Passion,

                                                Love, and most of all

                                                                Joy.

Love and Joy are the absence of

Judgment,

                Hatred,

                                Anger,

                                                Jealousy,

                                                                Blame,

                                                                                Guilt,

Unworthiness,

                Insecurity,

                                Fear,

                                                Grief,

                                                                Despair, and

                                                                                Powerlessness.

All of these things are external to who we are.

                They are visions we create of ourselves, for ourselves.

They may be visions others have of us, but

                We have to make them ours for them to become real.

Our biggest fear is the realization that we are responsible for creating our own world.

                All of it and through it all,

The music plays constantly in the background.

Love and Joy are the presence of

Empowerment,

                Freedom,

                                Appreciation for all,

                                                Enthusiasm,

                                                                Happiness, and

                                                                                Creativity.

These are wealth. These are abundant. These are infinite.

They are available to all who truly want them.

Many do not, despite their circumstances, complaints and moaning,

Because these three are who they believe themselves to be,

They are safety, simple and comfortable no matter the pain involved, and so

Those three things they drag more of into their lives.

The music still beckons in the background.

The greatest gift we can give someone is not food, or money or things, but

                The power to know they can find love and joy in their lives, for

With love and joy you can have anything you truly want in your life,

But what could be more than love and joy?

The music plays so nicely  . . .

A Minute Passes

A minute passes and children die of hunger.

We send them food.

Still many die.

But even more live.

                Overpopulation

A minute passes and people die of malaria.

We send them nets.

Still many die.

But even more live.

                Overpopulation

A minute passes and people die from war.

We send them aid.

Still many die.

But even more live.

                Overpopulation

A minute passes and babies are born.

We send them drugs.

Still many die.

But even more live.

                Overpopulation

More people are born and live.

We send them condoms.

Still many live.

And even more are born.

                Overpopulation

We sit in our big arm chairs.

In comfortable rooms.

In US suburbs.

We send them money.

And complain.
Still many die.
But even more live.

Overpopulation

We change the channel . . .

The snow falls . . .

The snow falls silently outside my tree house window as it has for so many days now.

The birds that are still here seem not to notice as they peck the tree and eat from our feeder.

The squirrels eat corn from the tray we put out, their tails pulled tightly over their backs and around them like a big fur coat. They still romp after one another around the frozen tree and scamper across the blanket of snow with relative ease. Where do they go?

Jays and crows also like the corn. What do the robins eat? They seem happy and healthy as they fly about from branch to branch, but there are no worms.

I see the tracks of rabbits in the snow below and wonder where they go. What do they find to eat? I see tunnels that lead beneath the snow and wonder whose labyrinth they lead to. The surface is white and featureless. Barren and cold. Perhaps there is a whole world of life under that surface we cannot see.

I stay safely behind the glass and wonder, “How are all the creatures of nature so very bold?”

I think about things I cannot know. They do not seem to care at all about these things. Perhaps in their silent evenings in hiding, they too contemplate the universe. Who knows? I read something recently that asked, “Can we be more like them?” I suppose I am thankful we are not, because I am warm and dry as I watch them forage in this frigid environment.

Is thinking a trade-off for bliss? We create our own environment and bring life to us. In exchange we worry, ponder, want, seek, think, dream and strive for more. More money, more knowledge, more comfort, more understanding, more peace, more land, more everything, often figuring out how to take it from someone else, though we should know that abundance is infinite.

They, nature’s creatures, are not so much different than we are. They too fight over the food that is available and chase others away when they can, even though it is always there and always full, every day, all year long. They do this even in the warmer months when food is plentiful. The fear of want pervades all creatures, I suppose, and the greed of the powerful overwhelms the desire of the weak at every layer of nature. It is the way we are all trained, perhaps from before our birth.

Perhaps we will learn to be patient. Perhaps we will learn that joy, wealth, and happiness, as we individually define them, are in infinite abundance and we need not take from one in order to have what we need. Every great wise man and woman has preached this for many thousands of years, and yet it has not sunk in yet, really at any level of our society. Why is that?

Perhaps even I will learn those lessons someday. Today does not feel like one of those days.

It has been a long week . . . I take one last look out my window at the squirrel who seems to look up at me, and the birds flitting about the feeder, and the white expanse beyond, and think, “God bless nature’s creatures. I’m going to make a sandwich . . . “