Watershed World

The entire planet is facing a watershed moment and we know it.

Sometimes I think I’m among the few suffering under the insanity of current events. I think others are exempt from my anxiety and rage -- the lucky ones who don’t follow the news, don’t think about our encroaching environmental train wreck, how social and economic inequities are mounting, or even about pandemics.

Then small events, passing comments, or online topics show the lie of isolation. We all feel it. Each in their own way and some more strongly in one arena. If you were a fire evacuee like me or lost your home to one of our raging wildfires in the west or flashfloods in the Midwest, you’re forced into climate concerns. If you’re at risk of eviction or your state’s not using funds to help with mortgage payments, you’re hit by socio-economic inequities and the pandemic by whatever name you call it. If you’ve got young kids or grandchildren, you’re wondering how they’re going to survive in this troubled age. If you’re a truth-seeker and step into the muddle of mis- and disinformation, you’re struggling.

The entire planet is facing a watershed moment and we know it.

Times are extreme. We get that. Accordingly, our opinions and our world views are pushing outward. We're living in an age of sharpened edges. As the margins expand, the middle shrinks. I think some of us haven’t realized that yet. It’s harder in 2021 to reach across any divide than it was in 2019 or 2007.

Sometimes that leaves me feeling hopeless. More often it leaves me wanting to try. I don't want to try to convince anyone. I want to better understand this watershed moment and offer sensible ways to inform. I want to look for points of light and use them as my guides along this twisty path forward.