Optimism is a political act.Entrenched interests use despair, confusion and apathy to prevent change. They encourage modes of thinking which lead us to believe that problems are insolvable, that nothing we do can matter, that the issue is too complex to present even the opportunity for change. It is a long-standing political art to sow the seeds of mistrust between those you would rule over: as Machiavelli said, tyrants do not care if they are hated, so long as those under them do not love one another. Cynicism is often seen as a rebellious attitude in Western popular culture, but, in reality, cynicism in average people is the attitude exactly most likely to conform to the desires of the powerful – cynicism is obedience.
Optimism, by contrast, especially optimism which is neither foolish nor silent, can be revolutionary. Where no one believes in a better future, despair is a logical choice, and people in despair almost never change anything. Where no one believes a better solution is possible, those benefiting from the continuation of a problem are safe. Where no one believes in the possibility of action, apathy becomes an insurmountable obstacle to reform. But introduce intelligent reasons for believing that action is possible, that better solutions are available, and that a better future can be built, and you unleash the power of people to act out of their highest principles. Shared belief in a better future is the strongest glue there is: it creates the opportunity for us to love one another, and love is an explosive force in politics.
Great movements for social change always begin with statements of great optimism.
- I read the above this morning and thought "right on." To read more from the author check out WORLDCHANGING a solutions-based online magazine.
Sahara, being closer to the ground than I, notices little treasures popping up all over the place. Her favorite flower to pick in the garden this week is our Pink Panda, an ornamental strawberry, which does produce small fruit perfect for little fingers to pluck. I think we got a few plants from Hope years ago, and now they are all over our front yard, along with the Labrador Violets and Blue Star Creeper.
There are plant sales on our calendar every weekend for the next month and a half. At the last one we went to, a fundraiser for Food for Lane County, I went overboard with onion starts. We use onions in almost every dinner, so I am determined to grow more storage onions this season. Today I began planting them and realized, once again, that we don't have enough space for all that we plan on growing. We keep daydreaming that our neighbor to the west, a Tibeten monk who smiles at us daily on his walks, will sell us his property and we can convert his lawn to an urban orchard.
I didn't make it to Hendricks Park for my first photo shoot with the new camera. Instead, I draped a towel over a chair, propped Lydia up, and snapped away while Sahara was napping up front.
You'll be thrilled to know I signed up for a photography class at LCC and with the help of my VISTA education award, have purchased a new camera. It hasn't arrived yet. For my first photo shoot I'm heading back up to Hendricks!
| Animal Manure Comparison | |||
| Animal | % N Nitrogen | % P Phosphorus | % K Potassium |
| Llama | 1.7 | 0.69 | 0.66 |
| Chicken | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Horse | 0.7 | 0.25 | 0.55 |
| Sheep | 0.95 | 0.35 | 1.0 |
| Cow | 0.6 | 0.15 | 0.45 |
| Pig | 0.5 | 0.35 | 0.4 |
Sahara and her friend spent part of Sunday morning building this town. Sahara named it Calabria. (After the little town that Strega Nona lives in.) The seed pods are from our wisteria.
