Every philosopher has probably
had an evil hour when he/she thought:

What do I matter if one does not accept my bad arguments, too?

–And then some mischievous little bird flew past him and twittered:
“What do you matter?
What do you matter?”

–excerpt The Gay Science, Book 4, Section 332 by Friedrich Nietzsche

Perhaps we ought to bow in gratitude for the mischievous little birds…  And yet, I can’t shake the suspicion that everyone desires to matter.  A hallmark of the homo sapiens experience:  the need to be acknowledged, to receive notice from one’s fellows.

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Some photos of scarlet beebalm captured in the backyard.  While working to take these photos a tiny hummingbird came seeking nectar from the plants.  I learned this about beebalm:

Beebalm has a long history of use as a medicinal plant by many Native Americans. The Blackfoot people recognized this plant’s strong antiseptic action, and used poultices of the plant for skin infections and minor wounds. An herbal tea made from the plant was also used to treat mouth and throat infections caused by dental decay and gingivitis. —wikipedia