The Occasional Perspective - 6/2/25

When I feel I must share my thoughts and perspectives on a burning issue…

Stepping Back And Considering… Over the last four weeks, I’ve had the unique opportunity to step away from the day-to-day responsibilities and obligations of life for travel across the country. Several years ago, we purchased a recreational vehicle (RV) that has served as a “temporary” home for a set period. Several years ago, we visited Newfoundland, last year we crossed the USA from East to West, and then returned through Canada (we were let back into the country!). This year, our trip took us down the East Coast through the Outer Banks, where we experienced a wonderful – but extremely windy – environment. It tempered a bit as we moved to the Central State of Missouri, where we traveled the Katy Trail on a “portioned” trek on the 225-mile rail-to-trail along the Missouri River. It was fabulous (i.e., consider it!!). Then, it was up to Wisconsin, Michigan, and Northern New York for a family and friends visit before venturing back home. So, why the sharing of this personal experience?

It relates to a combination of the ongoing events occurring across the country, as programs we’ve come to rely upon are disappearing or being dismantled, and the work of prior civilizations in building the civilization. We had the opportunity to visit the Cahokia Mounds – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – located in Illinois, which is the largest prehistoric Indian site north of Mexico at about 4,000 acres. The site includes 120 mounds. The impressive part is that the mounds are nearly 3 stories tall and were created solely through manual labor by moving over 50 million cubic feet of earth for the mound construction. The largest of the multiple mounds is the Monk Mound, consisting of 22 million cubic feet and covering 22 acres, rising to a height of 100 feet!!! Then, there was Woodhenge, located down the road, that was built between 1100 – 1200 AD. The posts align with the rising sun at the Spring and Fall equinoxes and the Winter and Summer solstices. Again, truly impressive. And, we think we are so special!!

I raise the issue because the question I started asking myself is: What are we as a people going to leave for future generations? What will be our legacy? How can we effectively contribute to the future? Will we be living on Mars, as Elon Musk suggests – or will we still be captive here on earth? And, what will our generations of the last couple of centuries have done to make the world livable and viable? Or, will we have destroyed it? Will the whales and dolphins be in charge in 10,000 or 20,000 years, or perhaps the humanoid machines that we have evolved from the devices we created in the early 2000s…or will our species be extinct? So, why am I even asking these questions?

It's because we need to consider what we are doing, how we are impacting the small little piece of the universe we call Planet Earth, how we are engaging in and contributing to future generations, as well as simply living day-to-day. Rather than engaging in narcissistic games, our attention should be on improving society and the health of the world or building a future that is viable, livable, and plentiful. That will be accomplished by “all of us” working together rather than through ideological factions that segment our societies.

By stepping back from the realities of day-to-day life, one considers where it’s going and why. But, rather than a singular perspective, we need multiple perspectives to make the world a better place. My energy level is not what it once was…so, while I’m presently quite healthy, I offer this challenge to the next generation. You can make a difference if you work together!!

Spring Has Sprung – A Lesson Learned!! – As noted above, we’ve just returned from our RV trip, and as I write this, we’re on the first day back home following our 6 weeks away. This morning, we were awakened to a multiplicity of birds chirping away at 5:15 AM in recognition that the sun was coming up! According to Merlin (my wife’s bird-identification app), we had 23 different birds singing different tunes about different issues (no doubt) for different purposes (again, no doubt), although there was a common excitement among them as they flitted about the bird feeder. The bird tunes were melodic in many ways – and, shared a lesson in cooperation and collaboration.

What is interesting is that even though the bird tunes were all different, there was a common element as well. They seemed to be responding to one another, both in languages common to their kind but also with a spirit of urgency that crossed the divide of species. Regardless of the message, the common theme of urgency seemed to serve as a clarion call for all the birds as they approached the bird feeder.

In a similar way, Spring Has Sprung here in the USA – not only from an environmental perspective but also from a more global, community perspective. We have lots of different voices speaking different advocacy languages that are challenging the directions we are taking (from multiple perspectives) at the federal level. Each voice is simultaneously advocating its particular tune or message. The nation is facing a plethora of different tunes from the different advocacy groups demanding different solutions that – at times – are at odds with one another.

However, there’s also a second lesson that the birds have taught us over the last several days of observing their hovering about the bird feeder. The many different species take turns touching down on the seeds, lying in wait for other species to leave before landing to take advantage of the bird feeder. In many ways, it seems to be a choreographed dance of the birds! There is only the occasional argument, but those are primarily among birds of the same species. There is generally no aggression between the species. They collaborate in their feeding and support one another.

So, what are the lessons learned? Here are my thoughts:

1. Birds of a different feather generally get along and take turns at the trough.
2. Coordination and collaboration among and across the species is a key element of their feeding framework.
3. Unity of purpose in the feeding process is derived through their coordination and cooperation. Through their coordination and cooperation, they actually seem to be supporting one another!
4. Their unity requires that we (the source of birdseed) respond by putting more out there for the good of all the birds – not just some of the birds.