Skip to main content

Weeds?

What is this thing? Is it an ordinary local plant or an invasive variety that could wreak harm by spreading? I put that out to my Facebook network of friends yesterday after I came across a group of these while I was digging up dandelions.

I don't have an answer yet. I have a lot of suggestions...

For some reason this put me in mind of Columbia, and who are the "real" Columbians. A specious question, when you consider that the People Tree was meant to represent a vibrant community of diversity. And yet somehow the question keeps coming up. Election turnout results make it clear that fewer and fewer are even hearing the question, or know what the big deal is.

As if weeds and Columbia are not enough, I'm going to take a leap and play the Star Trek card.

Remember V'GER? Originally a NASA probe, it had been repaired and altered in such a way that it became a entity of massive destruction. It viewed human life forms as infestations that needed to be eradicated. It had begun its mission in exploration and discovery, but something about the way it was repaired along its journey had turned it into an annihilator whose overriding mission was to return to Earth to find its Creator.

What has happened along the way to the people who loved Columbia and have evolved into destroyers of worlds? It hasn't happened to everyone. There are many, many good people who proudly call themselves Pioneers. But clearly there are some who view people and ideas which are "different" as infestations, invasive species. They are single-minded in their march towards an earlier time, to be reunited with the Creator.

I don't have an answer. I have a lot of suggestions...

On a Monday morning when energy is low and rain is on the way, I want to stop and admonish myself:

Don't ever, ever take what is beautiful and cling to it with such intensity that it becomes an act of destruction. Don't let passion make vices out of your virtues.

Continue your journey of exploration and discovery.

 

 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Teacher Gifts

Today is the last day of school before the Winter Break. It’s a good time to remember the far-reaching nature of our public school system. You may not have children. You may have sent your children to independent schools. It matters not. You will be impacted one way or another. Yesterday I read a long thread on Facebook about several waves of illness in the schools right now. There’s influenza A and norovirus, I believe. And of course there’s COVID. Apparently in some individual schools the rate of illness is high enough for school admin to notify parents.  When I was little the acceptable holiday gift for a teacher was one of those lovely floral handkerchief squares. (I don’t know what it was for male teachers. They were rare in my elementary years.) These days the range of teacher gifts is wider and I have fond memories of Target gift cards which I have written about before. I think it’s safe to say that giving one’s teacher Influenza, norovirus, or COVID is not the ideal holiday...
1 comment
Read more

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...
1 comment
Read more

F ³: Who Belongs at the Library?

  One of these things is not like the others One of these things doesn't belong Can you tell which thing is not like the other By the time we finish our song?* Did you guess which thing is not like the others? Did you guess which thing doesn't belong? If you guessed this thing is not like the others Then you're absolutely right.  Our library promotes equity. Our library promotes literacy for adults who have come here from many places. Our library promotes accessibility to materials and opportunities. Our library is hosting multiple Harry Potter themed events?  Tell me this isn’t so. J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter book series, has and continues to use the profits from those books to advocate for laws that diminish the rights of trans people. She has and continues to use her fame to influence public opinion to view and treat trans people negatively. In short, Ms. Rowling is using the Harry Potter book series to make transgender people around the world less safe....
1 comment
Read more