Hark, So Cometh the Spring!

We were never sturdy winter folk. No. We made the best of it, but have seldom reveled in the chilly embrace of snow and ice storm. This made acclimating to our new environment...challenging, shall we say?

As we made improvements to our rental suite, the bitter little flakes of snow pelted me, in my attempts to "refresh" the paint on the balcony. Huge white flakes fell after a day of inhaling paint fumes and cleaning detergent. Pretty? Yes, maybe, but nothing like a good sit in the sun porch watching people go by. We huddled by the gas fireplace for the first couple of weeks, as darkness fell at an alarmingly late time. There were no hikes to be had, not with the bitter winter wind still blowing.

Yet, today, there seems to be some hope of spring. (Yes, this is the middle of June.) Spring is horribly late, but it will come as all seasons do. We've moved into double digits on the Celsius scale, trees have budded and leafed, hyacinths and daffodils have bravely flowered, their heads nodding in the rain that has fallen. (A lot, apparently, from local observation.) What was bare when we arrived, has filled in with green and all the signs point to spring.

We're glad. Sure, we'll have to mow the lawn and do the weeding, but at least the earth is warming and we can turn down the thermostat, at least a little bit. We're so looking forward to summer; to patio weather and bike rides (if we only had some) and to watching the people pass by from the heat of the sun porch. I suspect this will be our favourite spot until the temperatures soar.

Fledgling grass growing...my little project

The garden (perhaps a bit of a stretch, considering its condition) is taking shape and painting season has come. Until we can find a more ecofriendly solution, we're trying to fill in the bare patches of grass. The grass may be growing, but so are the mosquitoes...we've just come in from being eaten alive, but it was worth it. Here's to summer.

Has Empathy Died?

I read an article recently on one of my favourite websites 3 Quarks Daily. (I recommend the site if you ever want to have your brain tickled with interesting and (mostly) objective articles on varying subjects.

This particular article that has stuck with me was about empathy. Here's the link: Can We Revive Empathy in a Selfish World?  (Spoiler alert: they think virtual reality might help.)

It basically stated that as society moves away from agrarian communities into metropolises, our empathy has been eroding. Why? Lots of reasons, but mostly the anonymity of city life, social media and (most fascinatingly to me) the idea that society is Just. (Capital J, on purpose!) How does that make us less empathetic? It takes away our responsibility. If society is just, then the people operating in that society get what they deserve. This thought allows us to feel secure in our own lives. We've worked, followed the accepted path and succeeded (to whatever extent). In other words "we have what we deserve". The flip side of that process though is that people who operate on the fringes of society: the homeless, the addicted and people with mental health challenges must also have what they deserve. This seems to explain why we can be so outraged over the treatment of animals, but so horribly apathetic to the plight of our fellow man.

If the world, or society, isn't actually just, then could our lives be just as susceptible to downturns of fortune? What an uncomfortable and scary notion. We've lost that whole "there but for the grace of God, go I" concept. I mean that in the most non-religious sense. We refuse to admit that our good fortune has anything to do with plain dumb luck. I know that I'm living the life I have because of a lot of amazing luck. I could have been one of those street kids fleeing from a bad home life, dead from an overdose, or struggling with schizophrenia, bipolarism or dissociative states. Yes, it could be me scrounging for bottles to try and get a hot meal. Dumb luck put me where I am. Did I work to better myself, get an education and did I work hard? Yes, of course. So did a lot of those "other" people. When I see someone asking for spare change, trying to wash windshields to get a few bucks together etc, I actually do see a human being. I look them in the eye, I say hello. If I can't give them money or offer them a meal, I can at least treat them as a fellow human.

For whatever reason this thought keeps coming back to me over the past few days and I think it's key to maintaining some sort of caring for others.  So ask yourself "do I believe that I live in a just society?" Then try and figure out exactly what that means.