1.We live on a globalized Eaarth seriously infected with the propaganda and political power of transnational corporations and neoliberal capitalism … and indoctrinated with greed and a clutter of meaningless stuff, … AND a lack of solidarity and an ethic of reciprocity & adherence to the Precautionary Principle.  There is an imbalance of inter- and intra-specific* power like never before (*Obviously the species on which I am primarily focusing is the dominant one, Homo sapiens).

I am white, male, heterosexual, fairly healthy, was raised in an “accepted” religious persausion in a family of considerable power & wealth compared to many in the world, and was fortunate to have socialistic educational opportunities many in the world (including in the U.S.) haven’t been fortunate to have been provided..  This has opened up opportunities others haven’t been lucky to have in many parts of the world, including in Burundi, Haiti, Angola, Mexico, & Brasil, AND including in the U.S.

However, conversely, I could have been born with more skin pigmentation, female, physically and seriously mentally challenged, poor, powerless, disenfranchised … in any of the countries listed and others, i.e., not have been so lucky.  (Because of luck, colonization, exploitation of others, immoral & unethical extraction from the natural resource base, and terrible military power, … the U.S. does have much more than its share of power over resources on this Eaarth.  Therefore, because of this tremendous immoral and unethical power, and despite very problematic inequity within its population, even the poorest in the U.S. have some opportunities for resources others on Eaarth do not have.)

2.  My wife and I discussed continuing to live in Brasil after having lived there for two (2) years and continuing to visit this wonderful country afterwards.  (We fell in love with the Land of Brasil, its culture, and its people!)  Moreover, there are places and situations in which I would love to live in other countries which I have visited and know to some extent, i.e., Mexico, Honduras, Portugal, Spain, Poland, the Ukraine, Nicaragua, Bolivia, etc.   (This is even though Brasil was de facto governed by a right-wing fascist military dictatorship [through a coup backed by the U.S.] in the years we lived there and despite the fact that in Nicaragua Ortega’s socialist government has become more and more corrupt.)

3.  It both amuses and saddens me when folk–who have visited a place a few times (oftentimes on a business trip, tourism, and in the military) and don’t even speak the language–feel they know that place, culture, and its peoples, etc., especially countries like China, Russia, Brasil, India, Angola, France, or the U.S,   …  I speak Portuguese fairly well and have traveled over much of Brasil, have a diverstiy of friends in various aspects and places in the socio-political/economic structure of Brasil but still need several lifetimes of experiences, study, and learning to begin know this country larger than the continental U.S…. this largest of South American counties of amazing sociological and ecological diversity.

4.  Despite our love for Brasil and other places, cultures, and peoples, … my wife and I did decide to make our lives in south central Texas because of early (in our lives) foundational structures of family, friends, culture, and sense of place which were strong and difficult to uproot … and that we loved and love.  …  This does not mean that we couldn’t have had a good life in many other places and countries in the world, INCLUDING what Trump callously, erroneously, and shamefully called s-hole countries.

pbm

7 S’s / VV->^^

the plan was to develop disdain …

in his grandkids …

for rampant artificialization, stuff, cars, plastics, large air-conditioned homes, agrilogistics, exotic imported foods, too much order, … fossil material/energy, Neoliberal Capitalism borne of genocide, slavery, socio-ecological injustice and destruction, and usury … and militarism and War.

they would understand disparity, biocapacity, carrying capacity, overshoot, draw-down of the natural resource base;

dynamic homeostatic symbioses/Nature/LIFE! & biodiversity, an ethic of reciprocity, the second law of thermodynamics, and the precautionary principle; and

the need for ecology-across-curricula-and-campuses of all human organizational entities.

they were to have small ecological footprints

and to know, advocate, work, and fight for the poor, the disenfranchised, the undocumented, the powerless.

they would tear down all walls, and communicate and negotiate toward real love and lasting peace … and PEACE or Positively Ethical Applied Community Ecology.

……………………

perhaps he’s failed, this stubborn, ignorant man.

you know, the “best laid plan … .”

and this wasn’t best laid by this catch-as-catch-can  … man.

he was banned, roughly/toughly blocked by loved ones.

clipped in the “football-game” of life, hit above–and below–the belt

and overtly and covertly announced to be toxic!

truth be told

there were many and complex reasons (though he thinks not always so legit/not quite right)

for loved ones acting cold and shutting him out of their fold … tagged with a scarlet letter.

grandpa failed to adhere to norms deemed appropriate by society, the club of Haves, those of Power/by those Goodly & Godly, Blessed, Chosen … and by some loved ones.

in their eyes he was infected and scarred-unsightly in more ways than one through his ethos and actions.

(and for certain he wasn’t the perfect partner for his most loved one … or for any of his loved ones.)

……………………

still … he never gives up, and now he thinks, ponders, and cogitates,

“i do hope at the least that grandkids/others learned/learn ‘the lessons’”:

• it is good to have confidence in your decisions and a certainty that you do care.
• but take care to carefully test the winds and the air (including that in your head, fred).
• there are always unintended consequences; life is not fair.
• for some reasons … love, empathy, decency, respect, forgiveness, COMMUNICATION! is spare or not there in many you believe should care.
• (but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t care and shouldn’t all the while enjoy the fair.)

…………………..

a trumpian wall, a discriminatory prejudice, (a ban from stepping on a site of loved ones cerca de las aguas del cañón) … is there, … and certainly not fair.

nevertheless, i love them all!!!

(and there are many others to friend in this world of a lair.)

pbm

7 S’s / VV->^^

my god/good is dynamic homeostatic symbioses*

including quality life for humans and other species.

do i believe in your god?  (power? capitalism? the almighty buck? stuff? … Trump? … biblical? quranic? a mystery?)

probably not!!!  but i don’t know!  explain your god/good to me.

let’s communicate on your take on all this.

what is “the meaning of human existence?”**

again … for me it is dynamic homeostatic symbioses*

and quality life for all.

but help me.

let’s communicate on your take on this.

and how about love and hate? humility and hubris?

communism, democracy, repubicanism? Christianity and christianity?

etc.?  etc.?  etc.?

let’s work hard and wisely to communicate on these.

and much more.  (even after we’ve passed … through our progeny … because communication is tough.)

pbm

7 S’s / VV->^^

……………………………..

*  Or Positively Ethical Applied Community Ecology/PEACE invloving PEACEmakers ( Games We Play (kite.pub) )

** Edward O. Wilson Explains ‘The Meaning of Human Existence’ – The New York Times (nytimes.com)

decency … (and indecency) … can mean many things

nevertheless it would be good if all made some real attempt to be decent–in its varied meanings–to others

the effort of decency might be a long and deeply invested conversation and pursuant actions of empathy or …

simply a short visit, phone call, or card–any peep–to a father, a grandfather or any being on, for example, father’s day … or any day

this decency of decent people can be shown to the absolute best and to sinners … alike

“prodigal” or otherwise

pbm

7 S’s / VV->^^

poverty????

¿¿¿¿pobreza????

poverty????

¿¿¿¿pobreza????

poverty????

poverty!  ¡pobreza!

a lack of …

especially a void in kindness and humility; a void in “good power facilitating ‘good trouble'”

humanity’s lack of wisdom, knowledge, prudence, empathy, sharing, solidarity, Positively Ethical Applied Community Ecology/PEACE*, … and peace

a lack of equity

too little equality

real poverty!  ¡pobreza real!

self-imposed ignorance within and apathy from those who have power.  ignorancia autoimpuesta dentro y apatía de quienes tienen el poder.

poor communication

shunning, intolerance, mccarthyism, racism, phobia of the different

facism, nationalism, trumpism

capitalism, inordinate human power

poverty?  ¿pobreza?  (in a context of and comparison with all others, including other species**)

artificialization, pavement/impervious structures, monocultured landscape

expansive/expensive military/police/paramilitary forces, armaments, arms

walls, borders, “bubbles”

large air-conditioned homes and work and play spaces, manicured lawns

plastic this and plastic that … a super plastic world with a focus on humans (with power) and inhumaneness

poverty! ¡pobreza!

…………………

*Positively Ethical Applied Community Ecology

**Desertification, species extinction, destruction of habitat, loss of biodiversity is thoroughly impoverishing for the long term!

pbm

7 S’s / ->^^

Pi?kny

Bonitinha!!!

Saudades

Pendejo

Dynamic homeostatic symbioses^2,3

Words I love

Mississippi sharecropper’s son, old friend Dr. Joe Lewis

In my circle of life, Mr. Semiochemical⁴ … stresses a need

For a new science-/sustainable community-based natural language

For all to use effortlessly, effectively,

Justly, humanely, ecologically, … PEACEfully⁵

I agree  (and generally feel we should remove pejorative words like “varmints,” “weeds,” “pests?”)

A more universal communicative language

Acquired locally by many

Across the globe

A language, vocabulary, communication

Developed through Positively Ethical Applied Community Ecology …

PEACE …

Across curricula and campuses

Of all human organizational entities

Stretching the human mind such that

Local is global and global is local

Such that we truly live

Sabiamente, simply, smally, slowly, steadfastly, sharingly, sustainably

And we communicate

Toward solidarity

Toward a holistic and profound

And delightfully natural

Prosperous way down⁶

…………………………………

1A “poem,” the writing of which, was triggered by a longer developing-poem.

2  “Beautiful!” in Polish; “incredibly beautiful or cute” in Portuguese; “deep, deep homesickness, emptiness, longing/loneliness for” in Portuguese; “stupid” in Spanish; a description of Nature including a sustainable human presence. … The meaning of pendejo (Spanish) can be a light “stupid,” “idiot,” or a very heavy “asshole,” depending on the context and the country in which you are.  It is best not to use it in Texas.

3  For lots of fun, read a little collection of fun articles (“Drink Cultura:  Chicanismo”, 1993) written by El Paso-raised Jose Antonio Burciaga.  It includes a very humorous article on pendejos.

4  A pheromone or other chemical that conveys a signal from one organism to another so as to modify the behavior of the recipient organism.  Google dictionary

5  Lewis, W. Joe, 2021.  A New Farm Language.  Acres U.S.A.

6  A book by ecological engineer, systems scientist, and brother (and sister-in-law) of Eugene Odum.  (Eugene and H.T. co-authored in 1953 the first widely used college textbook on ecology.):   Odum, H.T. & E.C. Odum. 2001.  The Prosperous Way Down.  Principles and Policies.  University Press of Colorado

pbm

7 S’s / VV->^^