(Not quite) Birds of a feather …

Today is Earth Day 2017. It is a grey listless day … somehow seeming appropriate considering the growing danger to the earth that is humankind. We set aside ONE day out of 365 to honor the planet that shelters us; the planet that nourishes us; the planet that we are a part of, as if by honoring it for that one day we can be forgiven for the neglect and willful destruction that fill the rest of the days. There are those who always appreciate and honor; the ones who try to curb the damage … reverse it even if they are able. But in the face of the inherent greed and selfishness of the human animal … is it enough?

I live in suburbia. It is a mix of the man-made with a superficial respect for nature, making it seem as if we actually care while systematically destroying the environment. I take daily walks with my dog. More and more recently I see how our fear for the earth is in some ways unwarranted. The destruction we reap is more a danger to human “civilization” then the earth itself … for the earth will survive anything we can throw at it. Nature continues to thrive; to adapt,  even as we do our best to contain it. Humans like to think of themselves as the most adaptable of creatures, but in reality we do not adapt, we modify to suit our purposes. Nature DOES adapt, adjusting as it must to survive. The earth will be there long after humanity has destroyed itself (as seems the likeliest scenario these days). It may be a changed earth, with much that was altered by our interference … but the planet WILL survive even if WE don’t.

These simple images reflected these thoughts for me today. So in honor of the earth I share them.