To me, the world is a wonderland. So much happens! Each change or event or friend or memory refreshes my sense of wonder, alerts my curiosity.
We just took a drive west through central Wisconsin, home of farmers and others, many of whom are intimately involved with the birth and death of plants and animals every day. We saw several billboards emphasizing the view that every baby born is a miracle. I totally agree. I think that 7.3 Billion is quite a few people and I am not sure we need more. But given the complexity of a single, reasonably complete and functioning human, such a creature is a miracle. It may be that a full consideration of a well-functioning dog, cat, horse, whale or dolphin would yield a similar conclusion: Miraculous! Stunning! Amazing achievement!
Take a bite of a burger. Oh, I know you have, whatever your views of meat, grain, animals, big corporations, Mom-and-Pop businesses and so forth. That the meat and roll and sauce and mayo and lettuce got to you at that particular place of business at the time you showed up is another complex event, something that did not happen regularly a hundred years ago.
See, you are still young but at my age, 100 years sounds like yesterday. So, the differences in many sides of life from 1915 to 2015 feel recent. I admit that being born in the early 40's makes the 1920's a distant time. But, when I am around people who didn't live during the time of the troubles between President Truman (Who?) and Douglas MacArthur (Who?), I get a good lesson in what it means to be unaware of earlier times. So, it is surprising that an animal who has so much fun, good food, warmth, friends and care as I do should also be fortunate enough to live as long as I do. It seems miraculous that I should have learned to read, write and use the internet to learn about conditions and people who lived before I was born.
When people tell me to count my blessings, I don't listen. I have already tried. I have checked repeatedly and I know I can't manage to do that. Just like I have processes in me that I don't know about and am unconscious of, I have blessings that I don't know about. Just as some modern advanced electronics make use of rare minerals that were previously of no use, something might be a blessing right now, helping me, aiding me, assisting me without my realizing it. I am reminded of the story, told by both Chinese and Jewish ancients, of the difficulty in knowing what is a blessing and what isn't.
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Bill
Main blog: Fear, Fun and Filoz
Main web site: Kirbyvariety
