but, when the sun rose, it was scorched, and, because their roots were not deep enough, withered away.
itsy-bitsy spiders
know the sun dries up all the rain
seeds are just as wisespiders can climb again
seeds can but wait and trust
valuable gifts but impracticalseed qua seed
does not flourish everywhere
but has a high mulch valueso no harvest this year
but imagine those to come
built on buried bodies come alivehow do we gather perspective
on ships and sails
and seeds and spiders
Just as with the birds, quick fixes usually mean there will be a bigger repair bill already on its way.
With our little seed relatives, we have found ourselves being a big frog in a small pond, a king of the croakers who continues to croak even as changes in climate push the heat beyond what can be borne. In this thought experiment variant, we are unaware of how we are increasingly imperiled, all the while denying a problem.
The joy of seeing only the sunny-side has led into a trap of prosperity gospels and positive thinking where a lack of common welfare and real science stokes a revolutionary fervor.
We feast on sunlight being chlorophylled into sugars that invite diabetes. We burn in sunlight damaging skin cell DNA and leading to cancer. There is no good without a corresponding limit that requires thought and discipline.
Even our favorite model of “premeditated mercy” (see book of the same name by Joseph Nassal) needs to recognize the reality of dealing with narcissistic and other sociopathic personalities who have no reciprocal response available to them other than taking advantage in the short-term and bringing death in the both short- and long-term.
A manipulative mercy has very short roots and turns into whining martyrdom. Mercy, holistically developed across generations, can give rise to increasingly diverse expressions of creative “it is good”s.
Two iterations of seed-landing locations have come (paths and shallow soil) and two opportunities for seeds to grow have gone. The story is still going on in Mark and it is still going on around us today. We are not through yet, even though we want to hurry on. Take another breath and let this story further wash over you?