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| 9/11 Feathers |
I'd just learned feather-wrapping somewhere, maybe at Headwaters Outdoor School or out at Kule Loklo in Pt. Reyes, and in my shock after the 9/11 attack I found myself wrapping a trio of red-tailed hawk tail feathers in red, white, and blue. I wondered why anyone would attack us like that, seemingly right out of the blue, using the tools of our own culture against us, but my soul-searching mixed with a desire for revenge.
Twenty-five years later, it doesn't seem like we got our revenge despite decades of war. Back then we had a budget surplus; now we're $40 trillion in debt. Atmospheric carbon dioxide has increased 15% while we still hear "Drill, baby, drill." Religious fanaticism is up; humanism is down. On and on. Earthly civilization seems like one big culture clash. The wheels of history grind through their cycles and I hardly know whether to laugh or cry.
I recently finished reading The Nerd Reich by Gil Duran and have followed it up with his recommendation of The United States of Oligarchy by Casey Michel. "Garks, grifters, and goons, oh my!" Important stuff, for sure, but I'm also glad to be thumbing through The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America and getting outdoors to put things in perspective. Nature's got her narratives, too.
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