Surely there are worse things one can witness than a cathedral on fire. Homes and cities. People. Crops, buildings. Flags. Surely stone, glass, and wood are only stone, glass, and wood even if they were once part of a spire, a statue, or a pew in the old San Gabriel Mission.
I was deeply saddened and disappointed that my fellow brethren would try to burn a church. It's a historical landmark. The roof caved in but the building still stands. Those decadent ones who feel they can turn the tables on what they believe happened 250 years ago. And they feel justified by their actions which don't use words, but by their fists and their anger, like a beast left to roam that hasn’t any respect for boundaries.
This morning I felt like I was living through a grimy scene of the 1982 science fiction film, Blade Runner. From the fires, a darkened sky, ashes everywhere, and the smell of fumes a sense of foreboding exists.
As many readers know I aim to see the positive in any situation because there is one; although we don’t always like it, it can be one of growth and evolutionary progress. But all around me, I see an oppressive backdrop, and where will we be without any respect for the Almighty, mother nature, the absence of any natural life, and if we can’t control our environment because some are in denial over global warming, will we become extinct?
Humans are the leading cause of wildfires. A metaphor for ignited emotions that are out of control. Perhaps 2020 is the year for us to see clearly. This wake-up call is a major point in our history. We began our summer with Protesters surrounding George Floyd and we end it with wildfires. Like two waves rolling in from different directions, they both symbolize life and breath.
Whatever the shape of things to come, surely the answers will be global. In the 21st century, as never before, social media, travel, and international trade have made the world one. Now deadly threats to humankind and the environment place our world in peril.
Can our nation’s political system handle these stresses? Or will they revert to control as combat? Will our memories become implanted with ones that our government gives us? Will the corporate world loom even larger and exercise power over us? Will we all become artificial robots calling into question our ability to accurately perceive?
Are we living in a moody time of pessimism and uncertainty? We are left with so many questions. Deep questions about life, our purpose, our life span, our connection to a higher place, our consciousness, our convictions, and freedom. Perhaps all this ambiguity will be the culprit of our success.
Napa,California.
Loved the connection you made between the nation's emotions being on fire, and the fires going on now. This is indeed a time for waking up to the realities of how poorly we have managed our inherent goodness nature. Good, one.