Politics And Gratitude
I walked in the woods a day after the rain. Several weeks have passed since I last visited. I was delighted at the change, the head-high foliage, the exuberance of mid summer’s transformation of growth. I took some photos of wild flowers. Consider — everything that grows in the marsh belongs where it grows… There is no metaphysical necessity for labeling some plants as native and some as invasive. Labels indicate what we’d prefer to keep, and to remove. Life is both collaborative and competitive, always in flux. When, how did each of these species come to find a habitat here? Is knowing relevant to appreciating the singular beauty of each blossom?
Labels are political, a disposition particular to homo sapiens. Are we not self-patronizing!? We flatter ourselves to imagine that we, the apex of the food-chain, are “naturally” in charge.
Be less political, more appreciative…
