Samhain Waning Thanksgiving Moon
Kate had to tell me, again, what black Friday means. Apparently (and you probably already know this) it’s the date retailers calculate they slip over from being in the red to being in the black. When I have trouble remembering something, it’s often because I have another association clogging up the rememberer. In this case black Friday has a theological tinge in my brain; it takes me to a day of lost hope, ultimate despair. As a result, I have trouble associating it with anything positive.
If I consider the number of people camped outside (one woman since Wednesday night at a particular BestBuy), and, if I consider the reason many of them are in those lines, my association seems closer to the mark. Our emphasis on extravagant gifts to celebrate the birthday of a man who wanted us to declare freedom to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind has always revealed the dark side hedonism which we let loose at Christmas, but the pitiful sight of people braving cold and inclement weather as blind captives of our economic system. Well…
A very positive note is the number of scientists now willing to engage in reasoned debate on the topic of global warming. Understanding the science behind global warming takes careful attention to several different lines of reasoning and a dispassionate explication of those various strands works best from within a scientific rather than a political frame. Perhaps, as an article in the paper said, we will be able to move beyond this debate and onto the question of what can we do.
We are not saving the earth; the earth will be fine no matter what we do. We want to preserve an earth fit for human habitation; that’s what’s at risk here. Can we learn to live on this planet lightly enough that it can carry us, feeding us, watering us, disposing of our wastes, providing materiale necessary for our habitations and our economies? Those are the stakes.
trained myself to use to my advantage, to push myself beyond my comfort zone. So, in spite of stopping earlier, I came back down and finished translating the section from Virgil on Laocoon Speaking Out Against the Trojan Horse. Guess what Laocoon says in this passage. Beware of Greeks bearing gifts!