Earth Day...or Maybe Gravity Day

Gravity is a contributing factor in nearly 73 percent of all accidents involving falling objects.--Dave Barry

What on Earth are you doing? I can't tell you how many times as a kid I heard this from adults in my life. How many times have I said this to my own children? How often is this phrase used throughout the world on any given day?

These are the types of wonders that cloud thinking for me.

I guess the answer is that anything done on this Earth is what you are doing. The potential of any given act is a force on whatever surrounds it. I think of all the many sayings in the world that reflect this.
Get the ball rolling.
Jump into the fire.
Go for it.
Just do it.
Don't look back.
Watch this.

Crash!

So really when I think of Earth Day, it tends to really be the force of gravity that I seem to be celebrating. What goes up, must come down so to speak. And I have certainly had my share of crashes. I remember my Dad telling me one time that I fell off my bike in the time before children wore helmets, and he described the sound that my head made when it hit the pavement to be similar to a pumpkin smashing. I always wondered about that, such a hollow sound, and how fortunate I wasn't permanently injured or even killed. Sometimes I use it as an excuse to myself when I do something bone-headed, I tell myself in my inaudible voice that I am certainly "brain-damaged."

So this Earth Day, along with celebrating all the energy efficient lights in my house, recycling that our family does and my serious effort to reduce our carbon footprint (though I wish the Chinese nation would celebrate some Earth Day efforts), I am rejoicing at the many times I have suffered the effects of gravity and the Earth offered just enough "softness" to make my landings survivable.

The Four

Fear is the lengthened shadow of ignorance. -- Arnold H. Glasow

I have come to believe that there are four basic things that are not good for living: fear, jealousy, righteousness and gluttony. These four overshadow the whole of everything good that I seek.

Fear:
To be afraid of acting on your instincts is one way to hold yourself back. It can be as simple as not speaking the truth for fear of hurting someone. That may sound harsh, but it’s really not. If it needs to be said, say it. There may be repercussions but that is what living is, an active participation with truth. Times that I did not act because of fear are the times when some major issues may have been resolved rather than tucked away and wrestled with later when they were stronger and angrier.

Jealousy:
This is a poison to the spirit. It projects on others how you are feeling. You see the awful doubts that you harbor and are scared of. This emotion is very closely related to fear but I think it has more bile to its substance. It is like indigestion to the soul. You feed it the wrong food and it is emotional heartburn.

Righteousness:
Not to be confused with confidence and passion, righteousness is the overwhelming need to be superior to others, to demand that they acknowledge and accept your point of view. I see this in politics, religion, social movements and more. It exists and is supported by a community that believes in the “just” cause. The Salem witch trials, Jihads, Jim Jones and the Jonestown colonists are some examples of people believing in the righteousness of their mission. Were purifying flames righteous as they danced and licked up the body of Joan of Arc?

Gluttony:
Perhaps the most grotesque of the four is gluttony, for it takes selfishly everything it can grab and devours it. It hoards and consumes as an angry beast. It holds un-quenching desire for money, deeds, possessions, conquests and control. Wrapping itself around everything it can so others can’t have or share in it. Its greatest enemy, charity, is no match if it isn’t controlled. The great desire to call it mine is overwhelmingly powerful and very hard to control.

These are four of my demons that will master me if I do not acknowledge them. What are yours?

Note: I believe that there is more to learn about the writer than what he has written with his words. My words tend to be discoveries about myself.