EXPO 88 AND NATURE BATTING LAST

POST # 69



My goodness, where does the time go? There are plenty of days that go by when I have this question pop into my head and yesterday was just one of those days. One of the online newspapers that I check in on occasionally is a paper from Brisbane, Australia. Yesterday the headline read something along the lines "25 years since Expo 88." Instantly I was transported back in time to the year 1988.

I was there, and in fact I even worked at Expo 88. As I sat here on Orcas, I found it difficult to relate to the fact that 25 years had gone by since that time. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, after all. If one is fortunate enough to still be alive in their late 50's then of course it's easy to reflect back in time in decades rather than just years. If I look at myself in the mirror, I don't feel like I've aged that much, but fortunately for me, I don't have any photos here with me from back then. If I did, then I would certainly see the changes.

Yes, there have been plenty of changes, as the years have gone by, some of them difficult, but for the most part, life has been a walk in the park as the old idiom goes. Nowadays, even though I still like to plan for the future, I am much more focused on the present moments in my little life. I appreciate the fact that I am still here for one thing. Yes, like most people around my age, there are the standard aches and pains, but that's pretty insignificant, really. I try to not complain, but every once and a while I find that I do. I guess it's all part of being human.

My appreciation of the present is a result of many factors, but the main one is the fact that I am very convinced now, that humans, as just one of the many species on the planet, have a limited time span, primarily due to the changes that are taking place regarding the climate. Industrial civilization has brought us all to this place, and it is what it is. We were born into this set of living arrangements so it all seems quite normal. Perhaps as a culture we could have changed our direction a few decades ago, however it appears now that we have started some positive feedbacks into motion on the climate front, so now climate change looks to be unstoppable. We are left to deal with the consequences. It's going to be an interesting ride from here.

And there are plenty of us now, to go on this ride. All of human history up to the year I was born produced around 2.78 billion souls, and in the short 58 years that I have been wandering on this rock in space, the number has increased over two and a half times to around 7 billion. Ah, the exponential curve, it will always come back to bite you in the long run.

Moving right along, I don't follow professional sports these days, however yesterday I recalled the first professional baseball game that I ever watched live. It was back in Anaheim California in the mid 1980's, a game between the Angels, (the home team) and the Detroit Tigers. The game was memorable because the Tigers early on got to a lead of 6-2 and the score remained like that right until the bottom of the ninth inning. The Angels had two out, and the batter up had two strikes against him. In spite of these odds, the Angels kept getting another score in and eventually won the game 7-6. I only bring this up now to show that the home team bats last. Putting this into context with humans and nature, we humans are Detroit, and nature the Angels, and in spite of the fact that we managed to get way out in front early on, nature is now at bat to complete the game. Pass the peanuts and beer and let's see how things work out shall we?

Back here at the ranch, Oscar, Felix, and Sophie, have had their late breakfast and they've all settled in for the morning nap. The sun is back, after taking the day off yesterday, and I will take advantage of the day and get out and breathe the fresh island air and be thankful for my blessings. Each moment is precious.


Happy trails,

Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer