The smoke rolled in from the fires in Oregon and Northern California. BC’s largest forest fire is burning about 50km from us. It’s been burning for over a month, yet hasn’t generated much smoke. It is reported that most of the smoke is from the US. It is stifling, casting odd light and turning the sun red.
Reports say the end is nigh, and worse, we have done it to ourselves, but we still have time to repent. It sounds a lot like religious fervour to me. That it was something in our control. If we only voted this way or that, stopped using plastic bags, weened our way off oil and harnessed the power of wind.
All the while we live in the best time of human history, living to an age unheard of 200 years ago, where more than ever humankind has enough to eat and fresh water to drink. Where we get to contemplate our navel instead of worrying about what the predator under the rock will do to us.
We sure could do things better. It is a shame how we treat the Earth and each other. The Earth is turning. It’s had enough of our disrespect of the land and sky. But that’s only part of the story.
Shit is bad. It’s depressing, our leaders, internet and television try to make sense of it for us but they are empty idols. It will be something else, something we haven’t thought of yet, that will get us.
In the mean time lets stop racing around the bush in ATV’s, churning up the waters in motorboats, stop building second homes, tossing cigarettes out the window, letting meat go bad, blaming others, burning what we don’t need, considering we are hard done by, thinking we are bigger than the earth, killing each other over race, rioting even if deserved, a Molotov cocktail and teargas never solved nothing, either right or left can we agree we want our kids to grow up, be happy and live.
It is hard to know what is in store for us in this climate. We’re not calling the shots nor is any deity, voted in or conjured. My money is on sanity, objective thinking, clarity of purpose, ingenuity, and above all else love and humility.
Palliser Pass 
larry
I was thinking of you in BC. We do not get much news here in PEI about BC except when the CBC talks about the USA constantly and mentions in passing that there is smoke in Vancouver. Breathing also this smoke is not good for anyone’s health because of the particules etc. Take care and be well. Hope rains comes to put this out.
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underswansea
Thank you Larry, yes the smoke is very bad. The forecast says it will be with us for a few more days yet. It smells terrible, many people with breathing problems are suffering. Take care. Bob
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Jim R
Amen, brother.
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underswansea
Take care Jim.
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mountaincoward
That’s certainly one spooky sun there! You’re paragraph starting ‘in the mean time’ is absolutely spot on! That’s what needs to be done but, unfortunately, it won’t be done! 😦
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underswansea
Right now, it is reported we have the worst air conditions in the world. It smells like burning plastic. And you are absolutely right that ‘it won’t be done’.
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mountaincoward
Awful that some of it was started off deliberately and that 190,000 people have apparently been killed by it all (probably many lung patients)
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underswansea
My father had emphysema, I don’t even want to think what this would have done to him.
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mountaincoward
No – I can imagine how bad it made people’s lungs, even if they didn’t already have lung problems. It must have been truly frightening and horrible for those who already had lung disease.
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