All this hurrying soon will be over.
Only when we tarry do we touch the holy.
-Rainer Maria Rilke
Even the bugs are slowing down in anticipation of winter.
I knew that some insects produce a natural “antifreeze” to survive the freezing temperatures (some can survive temperatures as extreme as -20 degrees Celsius!). What I didn’t know is that the chemical some insects produce- propylene glycol- is used as a “green” antifreeze for cars! Fascinating, right?
The fact that insects- such simple, multitudinous, seemingly insignificant things- have such a complex survival mechanism in place, gives me peace, in a way.
I have to believe that whatever hardships loom on the horizon, somehow everything will be taken care of. I refuse to constantly worry- worrying, after all, being a kind of prayer.
Someone, something, has ensured that the will and the means to survive resides within us all. Dig deep. We will make it through the long winter.
Who speaks of victory?
To endure is everything.
-Rilke
Nice. Fitting to apply the complex survival mechanism in an abstract way to life. So true.
Thanks, Joanne. I am constantly amazed by how acknowledging the complexity of the world simplifies my own life and views. I can now distill my outlook to three basis principles:
1. We are all connected, and our fates are intertwined.
2. Do no harm.
3. Do all the good you can, in any way you can.
Everything else is detail. Fascinating, encouraging, but ultimately peripheral.