The Leftovers

I am going to give the most pointless explanation ever penned now because I have no readers, but just in case there is one soul out there wondering why I write nothing for ages then all of a sudden there’s a lot: I am always thinking and writing down thoughts in various places, but don’t always have the time or desire to “finish” them into something readable and postable, with all the necessary background. That’s also why they seem disjointed and fly from one theme to the next. If these thoughts occurred as temporally close as I’m going to record them here, rest assured I’d commit myself.

Also, I had promised a friend almost a year ago that I would organize my thoughts for his blog (and only the environmental ones), but never followed through so I guess the other reason for doing this is that I feel guilty for that. Finally, I also worry that it is both pointless and arrogant to broadcast something somebody else has already thought of and written down as your own original idea, so I hesitate to write anything until I’m somewhat sure it hasn’t already been done by someone else. But it would be impossible for me to verify because I’m not a speed reader (and not very well-read anyway), and not everyone is as lacking in a life and spends time publishing their thoughts as if it matters at all. Besides, I have concluded that there are no original thoughts. There is “nothing new under the sun.” So why worry about justifying to anyone that I never read Joe Schmoe’s treatment of the same subject, so am not plagiarizing him? Here is my official disclaimer: I’ve never read Joe Schmoe. All this is as original as is possible in an infinite universe.

Anyway, it has all caught up to me now and I’m in need of another exorcism. I tried to group things in ways that made sense, but had some leftovers. So here goes.

On “American pride”
People generally cringe at the phrase “white supremacist.” It has very bad connotations. Why are we pursuing a policy of “U.S. supremacy” then? The rules should be the same for everyone. No exceptions. No torture, no genocide, no nukes. We get ourselves into more conflicts because nations, rightfully so, reject the notion that this is how it has to be. We’ve proven recently that we can’t live by our own “values” that we project onto everyone else. We’re so afraid of these governments and regimes because of what they might do given enough power. What makes us so sure we can be trusted with the power? We do not uniformly apply our principles (Iraq vs. Darfur, Iran vs. North Korea); only when it suits us.

We should abandon this idea of U.S. supremacy because others will always be aiming their slingshots at us. We should ensure that the U.N. is a body with across-the-board rules that international community agrees to, and unite in condemning those who break them (including ourselves.) And there have to be substantive reasons for condemning a regime or government, such as human rights abuses. It can’t just be because of the style of government (dictatorship or communist).


Out of touch: Another observation that I have made is how sterilized we have made our lives. We allow all unpleasant things to be taken care of by strangers away from our pristine homes. In becoming a nurse, I was initially shocked, repulsed and literally blown away by illness, body fluids and death. I had no idea about the depths of suffering that people endure every day. Parts of life like dying, rather than being the most natural thing, have become unnatural and dreaded, despite being everyone’s ultimate destination. When my stepfather-in-law was dying in the hospital, my husband felt powerless to help him get more comfortable. Out of habit, I repositioned him so he could breathe easier. But my husband was terrified to touch him, feeling that offering this kind of comfort was better left to someone else.


Various cultural styles: We get so immersed in culture that it doesn’t seem like it can be any other way. In an affluent suburban neighborhood, they wouldn’t dream of protesting a war or having any kind of inflammatory lawn signs. It’s all about large families, keeping up with the Jonses. They are the epitome of success in our culture, so they don’t perceive any of it as harmful. How can you blame them when they’re only doing what is right and proper according to our norms? Yet at a graduation party, self-congratulatory proof of the success of their lifestyle, you can hear songs in the background from when the home-owners were younger:

“War! What is it good for?”
“Fish full of mercury…. What about this overcrowded land? How much more of this demand can she stand?”

These ideas are no longer revolutionary. They’re relegated to the background.

Then, go to an urban street and the lifestyle is so different. Most are childless, own dogs, live in smaller spaces, and use scooters or walk to get about.


Because it’s not for the earth- it’s for us.
I found this piece of glass at the lake. You had to look very closely at it to realize that it used to be part of a bottle. It had a bluish cast. Time and the elements had worn away all the sharp edges and it looked like something that belonged in nature. The earth will heal itself and reclaim for nature all that we had built. The things we placed here…
Someday, when the cockroaches evolve to sapience, they will dig up a landfill and think they’ve found a goldmine of Styrofoam and #2 plastic.