Wednesday Vignette – a time to reflect

The morning news reported a massive oil spill up and down the coast around Santa Barbara. The coast guard captain said they will use the most “environmentally sound methods” to clean up the Califorina coast line. Fair enough, but I couldn’t help snarking that it would be even better to not let oil pipelines anywhere near the coast (or any other fragile ecosystem) at all! Of great concern was also that this had to happen right before Memorial Day, which is the height of tourist season. Also noteworthy is that this story got about 20% of the time of what Letterman stepping down had devoted to it, on the morning news. Good grief – the concept of bread and circus still seems to work in keeping the masses distracted, even 2,500 years later. We’re not really evolving, are we? And why does everything always seem to center on the effect it has on humans? Granted, this was a man-made disaster, but regardless – we rarely hear of outcomes for our fellow species on this earth, resulting from our own missteps. Here’s to our future broadening of our narcissistic perspectives to include other life forms as well as our own. Cheers!

About annamadeit

I was born and raised in Sweden, By now, I have lived almost as long in the United States. The path I’ve taken has been long and varied, and has given me a philosophical approach to life. I may joke that I’m a sybarite, but the truth is, I find joy and luxury in life’s simple things as well. My outlook on life has roots in a culture rich in history and tradition, and I care a great deal about environmental stewardship. Aesthetically, while drawn to the visually clean, functional practicality and sustainable solutions that are the hallmarks of modern Scandinavia, I also have a deep appreciation for the raw, the weathered, and the worn - materials that tell a story. To me, contrast, counterpoint, and diversity are what makes life interesting and engaging. Color has always informed everything I do. I’m a functional tetrachromat, and a hopeless plantoholic. I was originally trained as an architect working mostly on interiors, but soon ventured outside - into garden design. It’s that contrast thing again… An interior adrift from its exterior, is like a yin without a yang. My firm conviction that everything is connected gets me in trouble time and time again. The world is a big place, and full of marvelous distractions, and offers plentiful opportunities for inquiry and exploration. I started writing to quell my constant queries, explore my discoveries, and nurture my curiosity. The Creative Flux was started in 2010, and became a catch-all for all kinds of intersecting interests. The start of Flutter & Hum at the end of 2013 marks my descent into plant nerd revelry. I occasionally contribute to other blogs, but those two are my main ones. For sure, topics are all over the map, but then again - so am I! Welcome to my blogs!

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14 Responses to Wednesday Vignette – a time to reflect

Evan says:

May 20, 2015 at 10:31

It’s sad how few people actually consider the impact of something beyond themselves and our own species. It’s terrible to hear of another oil spill. I wish society was taking greater steps to wean itself off of fossil fuels (as I type on a laptop made of petroleum-based plastic, using energy at least partly produced by coal). A thought provoking vignette, Anna. Here’s my contribution this week: http://practicalplantgeek.blogspot.com/2015/05/wednesday-vignette-rare-wide-shot.html

- annamadeit says:
  
  May 20, 2015 at 11:37
  
  Good point, Evan – I too use my fair share of fossil fuels, even though I try to do better, and be conscious of my excesses. I think my main grief though, is with how detached we are from other living things in the way we perceive things. That fact slaps me in the face daily, but especially when I hear news like this. On the upside – I think that is why I love my fellow gardeners so much! 🙂
  
Lita Sollisch says:

May 20, 2015 at 15:30

Hear, hear!

rickii says:

May 20, 2015 at 16:20

Your photo is perfect…showing how small is a human in the scheme of things.
My subject is far less cosmic: http://bannersbyricki.com/archives/4578

Jenni says:

May 20, 2015 at 18:59

Yeah…we are a pretty pathetic bunch! I like your photo for the thought it invokes. We are such a small part of a big world, yet our footprint is tremendous. Here’s my vignette for the day http://www.therainydaygardener.com/2015/05/wednesday-vignette-things-to-come.html

- annamadeit says:
  
  May 20, 2015 at 21:01
  
  Oh, you said that so poetically… Yes, our footprint is tremendous indeed. How do we tread lightly when our wants are so big?
  
gardeninacity says:

May 20, 2015 at 19:54

I hate to think of that beautiful coastline spoiled that way. The remarkable thing to me is not just our narrow sense of what’s important, but the way we are determined to ignore even our own self-interest when it comes to the environment.

- annamadeit says:
  
  May 20, 2015 at 21:01
  
  I wonder about that too, Jason. What do you think it is? A false sense of self preservation? As in, if we ignore it, it will go away?
  
  - gardeninacity says:
    
    May 21, 2015 at 16:36
    
    Partly just plain denial, partly the assumption that things are fixed and unchanging … basically, I can’t really say I understand it.
    
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gardeninacity says:

May 20, 2015 at 20:25

Oh, and here’s my contribution: https://gardeninacity.wordpress.com/2015/05/21/nepeta-kit-cat-makes-a-really-nice-edging-plant/

Kris P says:

May 21, 2015 at 11:24

Your photo is beautiful. The scenes from Santa Barbara, where I lived for 4 years as an undergrad, are tragic. The event is getting more coverage here – it made it to the front page of the LA Times today, which also recalled the days of a prior spill in the same area in 1969. We clearly didn’t learn from prior experience. When I was in college, many years after the 1969 spill, you couldn’t walk the local beaches without your feet being coated with oil tar. Students kept solvents on hand at their doors to use in cleaning up their feet before going inside. We were told it was “natural” oil seepage.

casa mariposa says:

May 22, 2015 at 21:39

Humans are such idiots it’s amazing we’ve made it to the top of the food chain. We should have been devoured eons ago. It’s barely in the news here. How incredibly sad….

- annamadeit says:
  
  May 22, 2015 at 22:42
  
  I know… right?