The Times They Are A-Changin'
Below is a link to the lyrics to the Bob Dylan's song, The Times They Are A-Changin', and the words could not be more relevant, as far as what we are going through globally right now. Activists and other wise ones have been speaking up for decades that the planet cannot go on as it is. We need to be making serious changes or much less pleasant changes, in the form of disasters will be forced upon us. We haven’t been making anywhere near enough of the positive, sagacious changes, and there are signs that the disasters and involuntary changes are starting to be thrust upon us. This virus isn’t going to be over in a jiffy and there’s no telling what’s around the next corner. The world will never be the same. This may be our last chance to willingly make those urgent, positive transformations.
I don't usually comment on politics much as they have become incredibly divisive and I have friends in all political parties. When addressing the environment, we need to bring in colossal collective change and planetary healing. No one can deny that there is a dramatic shift taking place. It’s important to remember that we do still have free-will as to which direction we take that shift, by the way we respond to the warning signs. Do we ignore them and allow ourselves to go over the edge, or do we turn this around and heal?
There need to be dramatic changes in how we treat each other and the planet, and in order for that to happen there needs to be a changing of the guards. People with the highest good for all in mind need to be put in charge instead of who we have, those only interested in the welfare of themselves and a select few. We currently have a leader who has utter disregard for those he is in charge of protecting and uses his position to lie and divide...to loosen environmental protections, to inch towards authoritarian control and on and on.
If it was not apparent enough before, it should be abundantly clear now, with this unprecedented chain of events that this new pandemic has caused. As the lyrics in the song imply, we cannot keep going down the same road we’ve been going down. Young and old need to get together on this, with the hindsight and foresight to forge a wiser, sustainable future.
The world was healing when we all were made to stay inside. The skies and streams were becoming clear and blue. I could see more stars again at night. There were new birds in my beloved garden, which I finally had the time to tend again...Nature was expanding and growing, since we were leaving less of a footprint. That should have given us a big hint as to the direction we need to be taking. We need to be slowing down...getting back in touch with what is important. We need to reduce consumerism, waste and need to increase the environmental protection laws for a start. But instead our president used the pandemic as an excuse to handout an open license to pollute, as he indefinitely suspended environmental protection laws! So, our rejoicing over how beautifully nature was bouncing back was cut short. But now we know that nature is wanting to be restored, and we can’t let it down.
There are faux news and climate news websites cropping up on the internet to mislead people, and back the administration’s destructive choices. But the truth is if it’s not good for the planet/nature it’s not good for us. We are all intricately connected as part of the whole. We are nature. The shortsightedness that keeps money being pumped into the greedy corporations and not into the very things that give us life is mind-boggling. To dirty the air, ever, is wrong, but during a pandemic that affects the lungs and starves the body of oxygen, even a bigger crime. Who does that!? There are studies showing that the death rate from covid-19 is higher in areas with more pollution. Pollution undermines all of our health.
We need to be careful not to be misled by those pretending to help while, in actuality, only having an agenda of their own. It can be difficult to see through the trickery. Who is putting a new modern spin on the old lies? One way to tell if a purported solution is one to back is, ask yourself, is it truly for all of our highest good....really? Will it be healing for nature/society/us in a way that can be seen, felt, measured? Or does the solution do more damage than good, sending out more harmful radio waves, microwaves, pollution, chemicals, pesticides, does it strip our forests, while putting more money in their pockets?
Unfortunately, like the lyrics highlight, anyone entrenched in believing the old lies we have been sold by leaders and CEOs for far too long, is getting in the way of vital, positive change....and any of our leaders who unconscionably continue down the old path, despite all the warning signs and cries for renewal, are ultimately okay with leading us all to our death. “Come senators, congressmen Please heed the call...”
