Skip to main content

Is Optimism in the future justified?

This is going to be a more personal blog than normal.  

If you have been following this blog for a while...then you know that Sue and I have had a series of deaths in the family.   We have not gone into that much detail concerning these deaths other than the passing of her father, and then mine.  We have experienced the loss of loved ones some six times since October.

Susan has half jokingly suggested that we simply hang a black flag outside of our home.

These deaths have only reminded me that, since nether my brother or I have any children of our own (my brother adopted and I have a step daughter) that the genetic line that makes up this particular branch of the Wilson family, will go extinct.  

On top of that we have had a "run of bad luck" regarding our automobiles as well, nothing that was to serious and nothing that was not caused by time and mileage.   Luckily, we had the money to  repair and replace the parts. Still, it was an unexpected blow.

On top of all this, I am trying to leave a legacy of a sustainable edible lawn and fruit trees with absolutely no idea on how to do that or where to start.  I'm not a farmer, I'm not good with my hands and, if I am being completely honest, have very little desire to learn how to fix things or farm. I am just blundering along doing what makes me happy most of the time.I think I am more in love withe the "idea" than what is required to actually make this happen.

To put it mildly, there is a feeling of being "lost" in our household.

Yet, I feel strangely optimistic about the future which is strange because, frankly our world is a mess.  Being a realist, it's not going to get any better and frankly what we need to do, we as a society are simply not going to do it.    For example the recent debate over "banning" the gas stove.turned into a silly political fight over nothing.  Despite there being more and more evidence that switching to an electric stove is not only better for the environment, but for our indivdual health as well; it turned into a kerfuffle.

The sad thing was that as part of our kitchen remodel, we installed a gas range.   Yes, I am aware of the hypocrisy.   

At least, I think, I'm doing something in a small way to help reduce my carbon footprint and save the human race/planet...it's not going to matter that much in the grand scheme of things.  It's very easy to fall into a feeling of hopelessness.

 

So when I came across a word that I was unfamiliar with a few days ago, that word being Meliorism (meal-eo-ism), I was curious about it.  According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary it sort of fits me perfectly.  Meliorism is simply the belief that the world tends to improve and that humans can aid its betterment.

A belief that I had reinforced recently due to my work with the Odd Fellow's as well.   As we Odd Fellows tend to work with charities and other organizations that are trying to better the lives of individuals.   I may not always agree with our local lodge choices of who or what to help...but then I remember that really doesn't matter.  We are helping someone, somewhere and that is all that really matters.

It really is the "They" and not the "Me." 

Although I would love to see newer and younger people join the organization and I do wish we were somehow more involved in the community; and recognized by that community.

As I sat and listened to the "Mysteries" as expressed by an advancement ceremony hosted by the Odd Fellows, I was reminded that community is how great things are accomplished. 

That's going to be the goal of 2023, to try and find a community of like minded thinkers and to get involved with them in some capacity.  Sue and I already reached out to a few old groups that we used to belong to 15 or 20 years ago to make friends with people.    We are looking forward to it.

 

Labels:
Location: Stoneboro, PA 16153, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

What all the cool kids are reading.

Honoring the past - Thinking more about "invasive" plant species.

 Recently I've been giving some thought to invasive species.  I had received both positive and negative feedback on the blog post concerning kudzu and recently I came across a very well hidden, and very small, wild cherry tree while doing some yard work.  Since it's against the house it would have to be removed since the root systems could damage my foundation.   A buddy of mine at work was asking if I was going to transfer it, his logic being that it was a fruiting tree that would not only attract a variety of pollinator's but that the deer would eat the bark and cherries, keeping them away from the garden (which Sue and I swore we were not going to do this year).  It occurred to me that I was going to have to do a slightly better job of identification, since black cherries are native to America , where as other types of cherries are not.  Being able to make a precise identification would be helpful.   I used to be able to identify all these tre...
Post a Comment
Read more

A sense of time in place - traveling in Central PA

One of the first items that Sue and I bought as a couple all those years ago was a grandfather clock.  We used to snuggle under the blanket and listen to the chimes on the hour, the sound filling our house with a warmth and resonance.   That clock is nothing special, being simple in its design and technology.  It's accurate because of the beauty of physics and math...and is a lost art form in its own right. I thought a lot about time and place as we traveled this week.  I thought a lot about place.   Sue and I finally took a brief vacation recently.  Due to circumstances beyond our control, every plan we had made to get away earlier in the year came to naught.  My father became ill and ended up in the hospital which we decided to stay home "just in case."  He ended up in the hospital at least three times this past year, and I decided to spend what time I could with him. Family, after all, is what brought us back to Pennsylvania. We had p...
3 comments
Read more

Maybe we need to rethink invasive species???

Hi. As the writer of the post and feel that I need to clarify something. I do not advocate the planting of invasive species. The point that I'm trying to make, and clearly didn't, is that perhaps we should be thinking about an invasive species in a different light. Apples, figs and other crops are clearly non native to America and Europe but are widely cultivated because they have use to humans as a food source, animal feed, etc. Kudzu is an edible plant and although it is clearly harmful can it be used someway by humans? It's a food source, it's been used as a cloth and is showing some use as a building material. All I'm trying to do is to create discussion on how we can use invasive plants in new ways.   It's mid April here in Western Pennsylvania and so far it's been warm and wet.  The buzz of lawnmowers fill the air as I gallivant through my back yard collecting dandelions to make some tea and bread with them.  I had always known that they w...
Post a Comment
Read more