Vases, Tragedies, Statues
The Greeks are not reflective,
but perfect in their senses and in their health,
with the finest physical organization in the world.
Adults acted with the simplicity and grace of children.
They made vases, tragedies, and statues,
such as healthy senses should,—— that is, in good taste.
Such things have continued to be made in all ages,
and are now, wherever a healthy physique exists;
but, as a class, from their superior organization, they have surpassed all.
They combine the energy of manhood with the engaging unconsciousness of childhood.
–excerpt History essay by Ralph Waldo Emerson pub. 1841
Spring means weather upheaval, transformation of the cloud-sky sometimes hour to hour. Cause and effect, the angle of the sun warming the northern hemisphere, etc. Energy moves, heat drives change. Homo Sapiens are concentrators of energy, the slow change from nomadic way of life, changing to a more settled agricultural existence. We lived longer when spared the wear and tear of pursuit of food sources, the insecurity imposed by mobility. Villages became cities, commerce accelerated development, knowledge accumulated requisite to technology, especially the mathematics used to describe the foundations of matter; and then, we learned to manipulate information with integrated circuit design.
What will my post WWII generation will leave behind?
At the end of the 21st century, what way-of-life will be possible for our grand children four generations into the future? What will a child feel when he goes outside? When a grandchild of the future looks up at the sky what will she see?
I read once again this morning about the negotiations around the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report. Representatives of 195 counties met to consider and approve the summary of the United Nations report on the last five years of research on climate change. The consensus of the 2015 Paris Agreement was that greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced by 60% and carbon dioxide pollution must be reduced by 65% by 2035 from 2019 levels to have a 50% chance of halting global temperature rise. within 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century to avoid a cataclysm.
How did those negotiations go?
The Chinese insisted that reference to those exact reductions be removed in the final summary for policy makers. Saudi Arabia objected to language that fossil fuel use is the “root cause” of climate change. They also vetoed mention of problems with carbon capture technology.
To read more about the Bloomberg report: https://www.sej.org/headlines/how-china-us-and-others-watered-down-key-un-climate-document