Realized this morning that I’ve once again got my days mislabeled in my poetry journal, and by extension, this blog. Dang it. Corrected them in the journal but I’m going to have to set aside some time to fix things online in the near future. At least today’s number is right…I hope.
Another two-for-one deal today. Yesterday’s poem was inspired by an offhanded text message my bride sent. Today’s by a conversation about traveling I had with my parents.
No idea where this came from but I think I like it.
Today was a day of many small victories coming together for a greater whole.
Still feeling the poems from “The Dragons are Singing Tonight.”
Before we get to today’s poem, please forgive me for a bit of a rant.
I had a conversation the other day with a very intelligent individual who firmly believes that we are about to destroy our planet and that the only solution is an immediate curb to our population growth. One child per household. Because that worked so well for China.
I do not disagree with him on the fact that our planet is on the verge of a massive system collapse. We have massive, and massively intricate, interlocking ecosystems that we have been steadily breaking down with delayed, exponentially increasing consequences. The planet is going to change soon. Dramatically. So will we.
His argument hinges upon the idea that our rate of consumption of resources and energy is fixed. That we will only have the means to correct that by not being so crowded for resources, especially when the crash happens.
My response is this: more people equals more solutions.
There’s a perceived flaw in this reasoning which is that we are waiting for geniuses to come along and solve our problems. Genius doesn’t work like that.
I stand by my argument. More people equals more solutions. The answer lies not in our ability to control our baser urges but in our ability to innovate.
NASA is currently experimenting with biomining in space–that is using bacteria to mine asteroids. The military has developed an artificial brain called SENTIENT capable of writing new software. 3D printing has reached the point where it can work with organic compounds and the techniques used are not nearly so wasteful as our typical methods of construction. Artificial Intelligences are being developed to act as expressions of ourselves. Children are growing up immersed in electronics. Forms of education we thought hyper-advanced 20-30 years ago are now common place.
As our population has exponentially grown over the last hundred off years, so has our technology. So has our ability to innovate. We are not increasing our population to wait for a handful of outliers. What we are doing is working to raise the overall standard.
Things are going to change. It’s inevitable. Some of it will probably be bad. Call me an optimist, but I think that more of it’s going to be good.
Exciting transitions in my life. Reminders that the struggle of life, the constant fight against entropy, is a gift.
Big changes are occurring in my life. A few frustrating ones. Far more good ones. Hitting goals, adjusting goals, and learning the ebb and flow of this new life I have chosen to live. One of the biggest and most difficult of these lessons has been that success can be disorienting and that’s when it’s most important to get your feet under you and push forward.
Not a two-fer today, but a two pager. This year has been a year of growth and journeying. There is madness here, but there’s also a method to it. I’ll let you know when it all comes together.
Yesterday when I was writing at one of my favorite coffee shops on the island (and one my my favorite places in general) I noticed an open journal on a coffee table. The journal itself was a work of art, but what truly made it special we’re the contents. I’d never stoop to reading someone else’s personal journal without their blessing, however, with the pages open I caught a glimpse of detailed sketches and painstakingly written notes that were simply breathtaking. I rarely keep nice notebooks because rarely are my own notes and art anywhere near nice. In a way I don’t feel like my chicken scratch is worthy of the journal. This young woman’s was. Beyond any shadow of a doubt.
The Everyday Poet 