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“Many of the dangers we face indeed arise from science and technology---but, more fundamentally, because we have become powerful without becoming commensurately wise.” -Carl Sagan.

The quote above as a springboard to some agreement and some initial thoughts / additions:

Wisdom has not kept pace with

• Science.
• Technology.
• Power.
• Intelligence.
• Circumstance.

Wisdom is

• Mistakes.
• Careful consideration.
• Unending questions.
• Thoughtfulness.
• Reason.
• Connection, Interdependence, Compassion, Empathy.
• Acknowledgement of and consideration for the entanglement of time and place, leading to understanding the significant insignificance of personal circumstance and individual thought.

Advances in science, technology and power are obvious.

Advances in basic human intelligence, (i.e. education, knowledge and capacity for learning), may not be so obvious, especially to those who live in the moment, (i.e. one lifetime).

Circumstance includes

• Population.
• Increasing complexity / bureaucracy.
• Divisiveness.

Further thought:

Acknowledgement of and consideration for the entanglement of time and place, leading to understanding the significant insignificance of personal circumstance and individual thought will further wisdom by forcing individuals and bodies of individuals (including all of humanity today as a small part of all of past, present and future humanity) to recognize the past and future as both time and place, thus arguing that the present is also both time and place. Last week I said, “Subtract the personal circumstance and the dynamic of time and place becomes weighty, palpable, significant, real; and the border becomes thicker, impenetrable. Subtract the individual thought and the dynamic of time and place becomes wispy, swirling, obscure, fragile; and the border becomes nonexistent; and time becomes place; and place becomes time.” The present is merely a continuation and my presence (our presence) here, now cannot erase the past or discount the future, yet because I separate each moment of my time and further separate my place as any number of self-made or assigned identities, and because I consider the past as one large time and place and the future as one large time and place, my present feels weightier, more consequential and far more important; therefore I value my present far more than I do a connected past or a possible future. The reality is all time and place are entangled.

That said, today we are in a dangerous time. To simply say so and/or sound a warning bell will not be enough. To survive into a number of future generations that will come to the average lifespan of an earthbound species, requires accelerated majority wisdom, today. To spend valuable resources on anything inconsequential to the long-term survival of Humanity is ignorant, prideful, lazy, inhumane. Yet for many, long-term survival is a lifetime. And for some, long-term survival is an afterlife. And for many, consequence is some combination of personal power and comfort. And until we can agree on a definition of long-term survival and expand our consideration of consequence to encompass at least the average lifespan of an earthbound species, our wisdom will lag behind.

In the history of Humanity, if there ever was a time to be accused of overthinking, to be told you are putting way too much thought into something, that time is now. (I believe) today there is no such thing as too much thought. Today, more so than any time in our history, we have both 1) the capability to destroy our species (and possibly our planet), and 2) the potential to ensure our best chance for long-term survival. It is a unique and a dangerous time; and we should be humbled, both individually and as a species, to live here, now.

Lacking majority individual wisdom, we should seek worldwide leadership in those who at first are willing to work together to act on long-term survival as one million or more years; as a species we are barely into our adolescence. After willingness, the next immediate step is to recognize and act on the short-term (in our lifetime) goal of weakening divisive influence, advancing equitable opportunity and simplifying through transparency. And we must do this as one species. We must come together today. There is no other way.

This week in our country Congress ratified the election of a new president. The process was not without a few bumps. In the best of times, politics is about power. In this last four years this power dynamic has become more obvious; but even in the best of times, politics is ignorant, prideful, lazy, inhumane. Based on recent years, I believe it will be a generation or two before we are able to reach and maintain a consistent majority individual wisdom. So today, to weaken divisive influence, to advance equitable opportunity, to simplify through transparency, we must stop choosing politicians as our leaders. We must seek and choose wisdom and long-term vision; (I have already defined long-term). And it would be most beneficial if we were able to choose these characteristics and deeply discount or even ignore an individual's self-made and assigned identities and/or their eloquence and persuasiveness. One lifetime is so significantly insignificant that to focus on anything other than developed character built from a striving for wisdom is inconsequential.

“The human race’s prospects of survival were considerably better when we were defenceless against tigers than they are today, when we have become defenceless against ourselves.” -Arnold Toynbee

“There are no catastrophes that loom before us which cannot be avoided; there is nothing that threatens us with imminent destruction in such a fashion that we are helpless to do something about it. If we behave rationally and humanely; if we concentrate coolly on the problems that face all of humanity, rather than emotionally on such nineteenth century matters as national security and local pride; if we recognize that it is not one’s neighbors who are the enemy, but misery, ignorance, and the cold indifference of natural laws---then we can solve all the problems that face us. We can deliberately choose to have no catastrophes at all.” -Isaac Asimov

*All quotes in this post were found in “The Precipice” written by Toby Ord.

Names of places from “Underland: A Deep Time Journey” written by Robert MacFarlane.

“The Room of Cubes. The Passage of the Claustrophile. The Boutique of Psychosis. Crossroads of the Dead. The Clinic of the Aliens. The Chamber of Phantoms. The Medusa. The Glazery. The Maze of Montsouris. The Bermudas. The Shelter of the Little Leaves. The Monastery of the Bears. Bunker under the Mountain. The Cabinet of Mineralogy. The School of Mines. The Chamber of Oysters. Ossa Arida. Stairways of the Ossuary. Room Z. Hanke Channel. Martel’s Chamber. The Rudolf Hall. Dead Lake. The Silent Cave. Church-Cave. Hell’s Mouth. Hell’s Hole. Troll’s Eye.” (MacFarlane, 2019, p. 130, 187, 264).

MacFarlane goes on to say:

“In the Celtic Christian tradition, ‘thin places’ are those sites in a landscape where the borders between worlds or epochs feel at their most fragile.” (MacFarlane, 2019, p. 270-71).

The weight o' the wisp is palpable, significant, real, when it gathers, swirling, obscuring, to form a new place, a thin place, an edge, a precipice, a fragility. Often imagination and certainty fuse to freeze or solidify a place and a time and a circumstance and a thought, making it something it is not. On occasion a time exists without place; a time that is both boundless and momentary, dream time, dark time, 2am, alone time, lifetime; a time that will pass. On occasion a place exists without time; an ancient place with weight so solid and meaningful and life-giving that a single individual mistakes it for fragility, believes it to be a thin place, when in actuality it is the individual standing at this border that is projecting his or her own obscurity onto the immovable, timeless reality. This projection is the imagined border. Subtract the personal circumstance and the dynamic of time and place becomes weighty, palpable, significant, real; and the border becomes thicker, impenetrable. Subtract the individual thought and the dynamic of time and place becomes wispy, swirling, obscure, fragile; and the border becomes nonexistent; and time becomes place; and place becomes time.

To think is to change reality. To believe that I am, or any individual is, more than a momentary wisp in a random place, is laughable; an altered reality. Yet to not feel a connection with an ancient place, or to not wonder at the entanglement of momentary and boundless, or to not strengthen relationships with future generations, is ignorant, prideful, lazy, inhumane.

My most important connection is not with other worlds or epochs. My most important connection is with past, present and future life, all life, in this world. And yes, this distinction can be largely semantic, but the former emphasizes difference and separation, whereas the latter emphasizes a relationship and a continuation. Ancient life in this world may feel like another world, but it is not. One day I will be ancient life in this world and I will remain connected. I am both ancient and eventual. I am both momentary and boundless. I am here now and forever. I am both time and place. But I am only significant if I am able to discount personal circumstance and question individual thought as I live and work these connections. I am only significant in my insignificance.

Twas the weeks around Christmas, when all through my being

The hope of the season, I’m just really not seeing

The mocking faux kindness that’s up in my face

It works very hard to keep me in my place.

The privilege is nestled all snug in some heads,

While visions of greatness, within them it spreads;

That's Karen in her ‘kerchief, and Ken in his cap,

All smug and pretentious and widening the gap

The pleas in my inbox, create such a clatter,

I spring from my chair to see what is the matter.

Away to my Windows I flew like a flash,

Another damn email was asking for cash.

The shine on the best of this Charity dough

Gives the lustre of mid-day to objects below,

And, what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But payroll deduction to spread the good cheer,

The ask is for little, but that is a trick,

Because all the littles add up really quick.

More rapid than eagles the causes they came,

And I whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

“Now, Food Bank! Now, Good Will! Now, United Way!

On, Boss Gift! On, Gift Swap! Please give more today!

Our department must win and give more than the rest!

No thought for real need, we just want to be best!

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,

Much of this giving, does mount to the sky,

Then comes back to earth to do some real good,

Bringing bits of relief to the misunderstood.

But still, all this jingling, misguided at best

And for working poor, leaves us dispossessed.

As I draw in my head, come this time of year,

Down the chimney a hand pokes; “Please give more good cheer!”

I must dress all in fur and pretend what I'm not,

Some littles are little, my little's a lot;

Or is it just me? Misguided and skewed,

Angry and sad when I should be renewed.

Their eyes – how they twinkle. So simple and merry.

To seek their redemption, to find sanctuary

In privilege and pride tied up with a bow,

And fed by some lies as white as the snow.

This stump of this gripe I hold tight in my teeth,

And the source it encircles my head like a wreath;

From pretend to pretentious to privilege to pride,

Like something inside us has crawled off and died.

To be chubby and plump, a true jolly old elf,

I must find my compassion, in spite of myself;

From questions to doubt then to angry and mad,

I must reach out beyond to find grace in my sad.

I must speak not a word to those who won’t care,

I must drive all my moments with focused despair,

I must find in myself that spark that has died,

I must move out beyond my privilege and pride.

I must spring from my thought to my word to my deed,

Away from the specious surmise that I’ll bleed.

And you'll hear me exclaim as I keep up the fight

Go Karen! Go Ken! Into that Good Night!

Twas the week before Christmas, when all through our states

Trump zealots obsess as the left celebrates

Allegations are flung all about without care,

In hopes they’d unmask the unfairness of fair;

The sides they both wrestle with which one was which

While visions of truth dance a twitterbug twitch;

And mamma in her wisdom, and I in my dolt,

Find ourselves caught in their jitterbug jolt.

Jerked here and shoved there in pandemicus clatter,

Unreason trumps reason, and death doesn't matter.

Away out the window hope flew like a flash,

As did comfort and health and a whole lotta cash.

But the loon in his nest, now the fact he must go

Gives the lustre of mid-day to objects below,

And then what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But a shot, a vaccine, some more hope for next year.

And this new old white driver and lively sidekick,

Will this be enough? Will this do the trick?

More rapid than eagles, the issues they came,

And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

“Now, Covid! Now, Health Care! Now, Racial Unrest!

Injustice! Disunion! On, Poor and Oppressed!

From the Populist Strife! To the Trump Border Wall!

There is urgent work now in front of us all!”

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,

When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,

So up to the White House the new team will go,

With a sleigh full of hope for Kamala and Joe.

But then, in a twinkling, I think we’ll find out

All this prancing and pawing will not erase doubt,

As Joe draws in his head and is turning around,

Down the chimney comes Mitch and his cronies unbound.

They’re dressed all in prickles and barbs and sharp thorns,

And they’ll tarnish Joe’s efforts and blow their own horns,

A bundle of subterfuge flung far and wide,

Backbiting and fighting though we're on the same side.

Joe's eyes how they crinkle when he looks with disdain!

He should know his contempt, it leaves nothing to gain!

His droll little mouth when drawn up like a bow,

Spawns further division and political woe.

The bumps and the bruises this nation's endured,

You'd think that our vision would not be so blurred;

You'd think that our justice would not be so smelly;

You'd think we'd be better than Machiavelli.

And perhaps Joe will be our jolly old elf,

And make some improvements in spite of himself;

But that wink of his eye and that shake of his head,

Leaves me to wonder what more I might dread.

Best to speak not a word; go straight to his works,

And fill all our stockings; ignore all the jerks,

But alas I believe that the games will win out,

And not one of our leaders will hear my sad shout;

“Stop killing the people, the planet, the hope!

Start doling out justice and help us to cope!

Stop fighting each other, the future, the facts!

Start thinking before your reaction reacts!”

“From 3 to 8 billion in the blink of my eye!

It's too late to blame or to argue the why!

I'm here to exclaim as I fade out of sight!

Think first! Then act fast! Or to all a good-night!”

If capitalism has its way, and if our government continues to preen and prance and pretend they're not stomping bunny heads, then in January somewhere between 6 million households and 40 million people will be without heat and/or home, adding a depth of meaning to powerless and arguing that eviction is a path to freedom. Never mind that free (homeless) bunnies with stomped heads are helpless and hopeless and sad, those in Washington will celebrate the American way and those on the ground will be left to navigate this Dickensian scene of modern-day poverty and injustice.

What is puzzling me though is the uproar over this human atrocity only now, when before the pandemic, (according to un.org), we were averaging between 3 and 4 million eviction filings and approximately 1.5 million evictions per year for at least the last two decades. Is there alarm now because before the pandemic, evictions disproportionately impacted minorities and single moms? People who (many of us believe) have themselves to blame for their circumstance? And now this pandemic, practicing inclusiveness, is impacting many who do not deserve this equality? People who (many of us believe) have minorities and single moms to blame for their circumstance?

If we act for 6 million, why would we not be moved to act for 1.5 million? And why would we not be moved to act for 3 to 4 million? Does it help to see 3 to 4 million as 4,100 people per day? Individual people who are threatened, intimidated and terrorized on a monthly basis? If you think this is overstated, go talk (and really listen for understanding) to a single mom who is terrified by the prospect of homelessness while also facing utility cutoffs and food insecurity, all with limited transportation options and new babies to take care of.

As I write this, there are tears of grief, sorrow, anger, outrage. As I write this, I see 1 face out of 1,500,000; 1 face out of 4,000,000; 1 face out of a possible 40,000,000. As I seek answers for 1, I only find more tears. But, by seeking answers for 1, I feel for 40,000,000.

I believe Humanity is capable of seeing a face and showing compassion for an individual. I believe Humanity is capable of seeing a crisis or catastrophe and showing compassion for a defined group of individuals. But it appears to me that Humanity is incapable of showing compassion for a faceless mass, forgetting that this mass is made up of individual faces. Is the current uproar then due to the dramatic increase in numbers? And if so, will we get used to it, forget it and move on? Or is it really because this crisis has impacted (what our leaders consider to be) real Americans? Or at 6 million and 40 million have we passed a certain proportional threshold that offends sensibility? Have the numbers simply gotten too big to ignore? Regardless, Humanity has always been harsh and judgmental, and Life always has the potential to be hard. Yet today we continue to pretend to be full of compassion and empathy; it is a lie.

I really have to come back to the pre-pandemic disproportionality vs the pandemic inclusiveness. As appalling and repulsive as it is to think, it truly appears that we are a nation of elitist bigots. Until we overcome this empathyless national infirmity, those who look different (minorities and immigrants), those who fall into circumstance created and perpetuated by rich white men (poor people, single moms and felons), those born into less opportunity than advertised, those who don't take advantage of the opportunity there is, and those who are on the overcrowded side of the ever-widening wealth gap, will continue to be victimized. The funny part here, (at least funny to the rich white men and the 9.9% born on third base), is that even though the potential victims constitute a large majority of all Americans, somewhere around one-half of this majority remain active, bona fide, card-carrying elitist bigots, and I would guess that at least half of the remaining half are (to varying degrees) closeted supporters.

My entire life I have (for reasons unknown to me) had a full-bodied disrespect for the pursuit of wealth. And though money may be the most obvious measure of wealth, other factors including social standing, position, power, family, health, education, and culture also contribute mightily to one’s sense of wealth and well-being. And I suppose it is not a huge leap for one of the majority to act as an elitist bigot based on an overinflated sense of personal value which in turn is based on any one or any combination of these other factors. Our system of measurement is wrong; it is unjust, immoral and misguided. Perhaps my disrespect for money and status stems from my very strong belief that every 1 of the 7,831,190,117 individuals living on this planet in this moment are as necessary as every other one. I will never understand why or how someone would or could prioritize their bank balance over the needs of a victim. Whether that victim could or could not have made a better decision at some point in the recent or distant past to alter their trajectory should make no difference; statistics show they will, regardless, land on a ladder rung very near to where they began, and be prohibited from climbing too far. So, if today they are a victim, (as are 90% of us in this country), why would we choose to withhold available wealth and rob them of their personal sense of significance? Why would we choose to turn our backs and allow them to question and doubt their self-worth? Why would I choose to believe that I am any more necessary than they are?

Today, utilizing a capitalistic yardstick, I am solidly in the bottom 50%, yet I was fortunate to be born on first base, and for many years, decades, I believed I had hit a single; I did not. I may still be (barely) hanging on to first base, but the lineup behind me is weak and in this game there are no sacrifices. Some are born on third base and go through their life believing they hit a triple. Many are born on the bench and never get in the game, and some are born in the squalor two blocks from the ballpark and have never seen a game. There is wealth in this nation and we withhold it on a daily basis, believing that the minorities and the single moms and the immigrants and the felons and the poor and those born in the dugout or in the minor leagues or in the wrong neighborhood all created their own circumstance. The truth is all of these unfairly judged undesirables, all of these looked-down-upon deplorables, (all of them!) are no different than 90% of all of us living in these United States today. The top 0.1 percent of U.S. households hold 22 percent of this country’s wealth. The next 9.9 percent hold 55 percent of the wealth. The rest of us, the bottom 90 percent hold only 23 percent of wealth. To be in the 9.9 percent requires a net worth of between 1.2 and 2.4 million dollars; they’re doing okay. The rest of us? Ninety percent of us? We are victims. Yet many of us pretend to be wealthy in some obscure way and show off this imagined wealth by becoming an elitist bigot. And this is exactly what the top ten percent want. If this were not truth, we would see more of them denounce their wealth and prioritize human dignity over their bank balance.

It is overwhelming for us to think about numbers as big as 6 million; or 40 million; or even 1.5 million. It is overwhelming for me to think about 1. All I ask for, from our government, is justice. But because our nation and our government and our individual leaders are so beholden to capitalism, the mass will remain faceless, the individual will remain a victim, justice will continue to flounder, and I will continue to seek answers and shed tears.