Advice for the little one: for Kaya

You see, special one, there is a reason

why you close your eyes in the dark.

For behind your eyelids is a known darkness and

where you know your darkness you are comfortable.

One cannot stand to have one’s eyes open and,

just possibly, not see that which is right before them.

To not look is to be blind and creatures with such cowardice as ours

does such knowing ignorance so well.

It is ashamedly increasingly present

and we are, at times, the ugliest of creatures

that rather remain in a known darkness

rather than placing our hand out to that which

stands right before us.

But, little one, find one for you that explores the dark

and keeps the eyes open with hands in front

for only they are those that stumble upon the treasures of life

and they are those that learn the secrets of living.

Be such as that, darling child, and reach,

reach those arms out and one day you’ll find

another with outstretched arms in the dark

just seeking, and not waiting, to discover the treasures of life.

Then learn that two or more together are multiplied eyes and hands

to explore, reach and create unfathomable moments of life.

So close those curious eyes long enough only to blink or sleep.

…. now eat your vegetables.

Science Fiction

An insightful comment in response to article:
 Evan Stover
May 02, 2012 1:43am

Hello, Rebecca,
You are the first person I have heard make this comparison publicly, and it does, to me, seem almost too apropos... I had been wondering myself whether the author intended it to be a commentary on our current situation. I was talking recently with a radical East Indian activist who put forth an interesting perspective on it, however, when I suggested that I saw the story as an allegorical attack on our mores and systems. Admittedly she had not read it and was basing her response on my description, but I do feel her take is worth repeating. She feels that the background of the story - that of a global conflict which led to the survivors forming the thirteen colonies - actually feeds into the fear mythos of the powers that be, especially when considering the target audience of the series. She feels that rather than it being a diatribe against inhumanity, it actually supports our whole obsession with the inevitability of war, of doom, of a future which we'll have to survive rather than create.
Someone in a position of influence (could have been someone in Obama's Administration) recently was complaining that science fiction is always too glum about the future, that it is constantly portraying a dismal or even disastrous period ahead which the various protagonists are living through or dealing with in various ways. Personally I feel that there is a lot of that genre that is a serious attempt to look ahead from present trends and tendencies and to mirror the darker sides of our human nature as a warning, to wake us from our fascination with technology and remind us that we must be very careful since it is essentially only a few millennia since our primitive brains were dictating our activities. It is no longer in the interest of the human race to act as if every stranger is a threat, or to feel - like a child of a large family at the dinner table - that we must grab at whatever is near us and hoard it against potential famine, to the detriment of any other unfortunates at the meal.
To the degree that there still seem to be many, many people out there who are determined NOT to see the disturbing aspects of our human civilizations, I think perhaps yet another vision which almost literally throws them back in our face may be helpful: it is so important to wake up and see ourselves as we are - an amazingly creative species which has powerful self-destructive tendencies when common sense is ignored. But I do see the aforementioned activist's point also, that young people need to have hope rooted in a determination to create the kind of world they would LIKE to live in, rather than giving them the sense that - no matter what they do - their best chance is only to survive in the world previous generations are busy foisting on their backs. The Occupy movement is just such a declaration of determination, as I see it: at its root it is a dramatic, vital, radical re-envisioning of human values and relationships, not just with each other, but with the earth itself... a powerful rejection of habitual negativity and short-sightedness. It says, to paraphrase the Hunger Games cry: "We shall make our own odds, in humanity's favor".

Trial of Tim DeChristopher

[The following was co-written by Naomi Klein, author of #1 NYT bestseller The Shock Doctrine, Terry Tempest Williams, world renowned wildlife author, Bill Mckibben, founter of 350.org and author of The End Of Nature, and Dr. James Hansen, author of Storms of my Grandchildren, and who is regarded as the world's leading climatologist. All recognize the trial of Tim DeChristopher to be a turning point in the climate movement. Included are links to resources for travel to Utah]

Dear Friends,

The epic fight to ward off global warming and transform the energy system that is at the core of our planet’s economy takes many forms: huge global days of action, giant international conferences like the one that just failed in Copenhagen, small gestures in the homes of countless people.

But there are a few signal moments, and one comes next month, when the federal government puts Tim DeChristopher on trial in Salt Lake City. Tim—“Bidder 70”-- pulled off one of the most creative protests against our runaway energy policy in years: he bid for the oil and gas leases on several parcels of federal land even though he had no money to pay for them, thus upending the auction. The government calls that “violating the Federal Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing Reform Act” and thinks he should spend ten years in jail for the crime; we call it a noble act, a profound gesture made on behalf of all of us and of the future.

Tim’s action drew national attention to the fact that the Bush Administration spent its dying days in office handing out a last round of favors to the oil and gas industry. After investigating irregularities in the auction, the Obama Administration took many of the leases off the table, with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar criticizing the process as “a headlong rush.” And yet that same Administration is choosing to prosecute the young man who blew the whistle on this corrupt process.

We cannot let this stand. When Tim disrupted the auction, he did so in the fine tradition of non-violent civil disobedience that changed so many unjust laws in this country’s past. Tim’s upcoming trial is an occasion to raise the alarm once more about the peril our planet faces. The situation is still fluid—the trial date has just been set, and local supporters are making plans for how to mark the three-day proceedings. But they are asking people around the country to flood into Salt Lake City in mid-March. If you come, there will be ample opportunity for both legal protest and civil disobedience. For example:

#Outside the courthouse, there will be a mock trial, with experts like NASA’s Jim Hansen providing the facts that should be heard inside the chambers. We don’t want Tim on trial—we want global warming on the stand.

#Demonstrators will be using the time-honored tactics of civil disobedience to make their voices heard outside the courthouse in an effort to prevent “business as usual”—it’s business as usual that’s wrecking the earth.

#There will be evening concerts and gatherings, including a “mini-summit” to share ideas on how the climate movement should proceed in the years ahead. This is a people’s movement that draws power from around the globe; for a few days its headquarters will be Salt Lake City.

You can get the most up-to-date news at climatetrial.com, including schedules for non-violence training, and information about legal representation. If you’re coming, bring not only your passion but also your creativity—we need lots of art and music to help make the point that we won’t sit idly by while the government tries to scare the environmental movement into meek cooperation. This kind of trial is nothing but intimidation—and the best answers to intimidation are joy and resolve. That’s what we’ll need in Utah.

We know it’s short notice. Some of us won’t be able to make it to Utah because we have other commitments or are limiting travel, and if you’re in the same situation, climatetrial.com will also have details of solidarity actions in other parts of the country. If you can contribute money to help make the week’s events possible, click here. But more than your money we need your body, your brains, and your heart. In a landscape of little water, where redrock canyons rise upward like praying hands, we can offer our solidarity to the wild: wild lands and wild hearts. Tim DeChristopher deserves and needs our physical and spiritual support in the name of a just and vibrant community.

Thank you for standing with us,

Naomi Klein,

Bill McKibben,

Terry Tempest Williams

Dr. James Hansen