Earth Reckoning

Earth is the only habitable planet in the galaxy, perhaps the universe, as far as we know. Can we afford to be so cavalier with our only viable home—the only one known?

I get lost in the shuffle as often as anyone else, but I can’t help but marvel at our collective hubris, our lack of awareness. We are one part of a series of symbiotic mechanisms existing on this mass of rock in the void.

A reckoning with such realities would not only serve us well, but lead to greater synergy within this wondrous home. Are we awake?

Predicament to Path

What a strange predicament we find ourselves in. Our technological prowess grows exponentially, but our ability to organize diminishes. 

We are animals that need to organize; we’ve done that for the absolute entirety of our species’ history. We’ve always been social. 

In an increasingly glocal world, we need to decide: who are we, and who do we want to be? That’s not the solution, that is the path. 

March Questions

How is it already March? What a time warp we’re living in. Our technological capability continually accelerates, but what of our consciousness? There are many forms of progress, innovation being just one. Enlightenment may not dazzle, but its quiet profound abounds. It can start with simple questions: what would the world be like if everyone behaved this way? What small thing can I do consistently to improve the world? Who are we? 

The “Outside World”

Being locked down this past year has reinforced how important nature is to me. I know there are many people who are perfectly happy being inside, and that's totally fine, but I'm not one of them. Shelter is integral to our safety and well being, but ultimately that's all it is: shelter. It's a temporary reprieve from the elements, not a fortress against the "outside world." For millennia our species has had to find food in the natural world, and we've thus evolved to integrate with the Earth. Of course there's danger and risk inherent in roaming the land, but there's also connection. I feel a deep pull, a strong grounding to the Earth, when I am immersed amongst the trees and the insects and the wind. The world is much different now, but we must remember where we came from. We are animals after all. What's more human than being one with the surrounding environment and living in connection with the Earth?

Saying I love you

Perhaps what’s so stressful about the world right now is the illumination of how finite we are. It’s going to end some day. But when I spend time, even virtually, with those I love, it reinforces the magnificence of that limitation. We don’t live forever, but we get to choose who we are with. How wonderful is it to enjoy good times with friends, to have heartfelt family moments? We may not have every opportunity right now, but at least we’re receiving the necessary perspective of how important and valuable that experience is. Our choices in company, perhaps inadvertently, say “I love you. I’m choosing to spend the limited time that I have with you.” There’s a beauty in that, even if it doesn’t continue into eternity. Just something to ponder, as we construct our bubbles and decide our courses. It’s an amazing experience to be human. 

Time, Changes, and Lessons

Do you ever feel like a different person than a year ago, even a week ago? I feel like we have been changing so much, learning so much, since the start of the pandemic. Just think of people’s mindset and perspective back in March of last year—many thought quarantine would last a few weeks, a couple months at most. Here we are almost a year later, and we’ve struggled with the lingering isolation, adapted and changed. How crazy is it going to be when things return to some semblance of normalcy? Do we remember how to interact within large groups, how to mingle at unfamiliar gatherings, how to sit in traffic? There have to be so many implications that are still unknown to us. In a sense, time has become meaningless and perspective impossible to maintain. Are we noting the lessons we’re learning? Will we pass them on to those who come after? I sure as hell hope so, because this has been one crazy ride. 

Historical Perspective

The pandemic has forced us to take a look. We see what life is now in this altered world. We also gain perspective on what the world was before. Normality may never exactly return, but that also means the future is what we make it. That has always been the case, but our generation now has the gift of added perspective. Let’s use this perceptive insight to change the world. 

Seeing Point

What is our most pressing problem? Is it the coronavirus that plagues our species? Is it climate change, which threatens all? Is it our struggle to unify as a species? How often does the average person consider such problems or their solutions? We have the means and technology for us to each pitch in. But we can’t truly address these issues unless we are aware of them. Seeing must come first. What better point in our history than right now?

Viral Opportunity

I’m not sure we’ve collectively reckoned with the permanent implications of the coronavirus. The fact is we’ll all be living with it for the rest of our lives. It’s here to stay, and although the vaccines are promising and there’s a hopeful future ahead, it’s clear the world will never be the same again. The Spanish Flu and the Black Death didn’t occur when we had such technology and communication available. Nor was our population as large or densely grouped. We will face many challenges, even with our technology, that those who experienced prior plagues did not have to consider. However, this daunting reality also brings an impetus to change, to come together, to be better. Let us learn from our mistakes, discard our differences, and work together to build a new world. We have been given such an opportunity; all we have to do now is decide whether we wish to take it. 

Information Revolution

As I’ve resumed my news consumption upon my return to “normalcy” today, I realize I wasn’t missing anything while away. If you’ve followed any of my previous posts, you’ll know that I’ve employed a myriad of strategies for staying informed while minimizing the mere act of consumption for its own sake, and that each undertaking has failed in striking that delicate balance. 

And yet it seems in these unprecedented times you can’t ignore what’s happening in the world. There’s a balance there I’m sure of it, but even the news outlets I like and respect won’t tell me to turn them off or put them down.

Information is powerful, and in our current global system, it is used to exploit the average person around the world, not to empower her or him. Somehow some way we must seek to remedy that, as it will unlock the real potential for us to change the world. 

Trip Ends and Beginnings

The way back from an adventure always has that melancholy feeling to it, like the ending to Casablanca. There is the farewell to what was, and the reluctant acceptance of what now will be. I try to remind myself that such is part of life. It can in fact be a large component of our lives as time passes. The quicker we can appreciate and let go, the sooner we can embrace what is to come. It is not tragic, it is life. What a wondrous world we enjoy. Until next time Hawaii; thank you for the reconnection to Mother Nature. 

Slow Week Reflection

It’s been a transformative week in Hawaii. As I look back since last Saturday, I feel I’ve learned a lot. The ocean is our planet. We are one with the Earth. And most of all, that you can most clearly experience that when you slow down a little bit, when you breathe and take it all in. Sure there are big bad problems to solve that require urgency and vigor, but to fully grasp why we must solve them we need to visit back with the Earth. Hawaii provides a great backdrop for embarking on such a return, and I hope I can bring the sense of calm I’ve grown accustomed to here back to the mainland. 

Nature on Earth

Our technology is powerful, at least to our own expectations. But it can’t replace or even replicate nature. There is something to be understood from our connection with it. We are bound to the Earth, to its wondrous environments and the energy it provides us. This is our most important lesson, until we head for the stars. Even then, Earth is and will always be humanity’s harbor. 

Island Time

What’s also intriguing about this place is time. You don’t see time as easily in many parts of the world; sometimes it appears as if it stood still, others it’s a slow progression. An island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean has a deep connection to time: it exists on a volcanic formation that took millions of years, thousands of years of evolution have led to the unique biodiversity present, and often hundreds of years of history have impacted any humans living on it. There’s a connection to the eternal, but also the present. I’m sure there’s much insight to appreciate. All it takes is some time on such an island. 

Outside the News

Something that’s certainly contributed to my peace this week on this island is that I haven’t followed the news at all. I still believe remaining informed is an important responsibility of citizenship, but I have struggled to find the balance. This week, being blissfully unaware of the news has enabled positivity to flow through, and helped keep the negativity out. We need to figure out how to avoid sensationalism, how to create a system that shares information without regard to profit. I can tell you one thing: the answer isn’t going to come to me this week. 

Island Mindset

Perhaps the single most visceral takeaway from hashtag island life is that you’re on it with everyone else here; there is no getting away, in the sense. Sure tourists like me might leave in a week or so, but for that week, you’re stuck here with me. That understanding promotes an easy going nature in itself, an acceptance of cohabitation on limited space. Our species must cultivate such a perspective for this wondrous planet we cohabitate with all the other life present here. If we allow ourselves to see it... prosperity beckons. 

Connections between

President’s Day.. there’s a lot of distance from that here in Hawaii. George Washington, although an accomplished figure, wasn’t mentioned today. Our history and our past is seldomly contemplated as a people; we accept today as a “bank holiday.” How difficult for us now in this year of 2021. Gosh, don’t we have much to learn! And haven’t we learned a lot? Let’s continue the connection from previous classrooms and future dilemmas. We have a road ahead. How will we travel, well... that’s up to us. 

Maui Magnificence

I know so little about the true island life, but visiting Maui has been a restorative experience. Much of it can be attributed to staying with a good friend, a local who makes it much easier to immerse in the island’s energy. We are not at a resort, we’re in a home. We listen to local reggae in the car and are privileged to be privy to inside advice. And there are less people here because of the pandemic. It’s a contingent of factors that has provided an opportunity to connect with Mother Nature. The views are either inspiring mountains or the beauty of the ocean. There is no pace, only the flow of each day. It’s truly a wondrous planet we live on, and just a handful of hours on one of its spectacular islands solidifies that reality. We are one with nature, we are a small part of it, not outside of it. What a lucky group of monkeys we are. Let us remember that as we move forward; we not only strive for a better human world, but a more perfect ecosystem of magnificence. 

Touchdown

Do you ever arrive at a place and just exhale ‘wow?’ Maui is magic, and you can feel it from the moment you arrive on the island. I had been once as a kid, which doesn’t really count, and I’ve realized today how special these islands are. It’s an interesting mix of cultural and spiritual gravity combined with heavenly environmental backdrops. I’m so excited to explore more, to learn more, and to grow. To living. 

Bring on the Ox

Today is Chinese New Year, which is an oddly significant day for me. I spent 4 transformative years in China, and on this special occasion each year I look back and reflect on my time and relationship with Chinese culture. 

China has a vast, long, and rich heritage, and it’s still widely misunderstood outside the Sino sphere. Chinese people might be shy at first, but once you interact with them, they become some of the nicest people I’ve ever met.

What’s more, Spring Festival as a holiday centers around family and food, and exemplifies the best of traditional Chinese values. To all my friends over in the motherland, have a wonderful festival. Here’s to the year of the Ox bringing us health and good fortune.