Seeking balance

Today is the Autumnal Equinox. A day for balance. When, if we're at the Equator, night and day share the light in equal measure. The first day when the Zodiac is ruled by Libra, the seeker of justice. 

When we can only hope for some kind of balance where the good and the sane prevail in this world of ours that currently seems so dreadfully out of balance. 

To my surprise (and in a good way for a change), even though I'm not much of a Royalist, I was delighted to find this article about King Charles and the balance he's been able to find in Romania. It seemed an apt ray of hope on this day of a new season. 

Coming soon...

...to a screen near you. A blank screen where there used to be an art known as comedic satire.  

First, it was Stephen Colbert's show getting notice. Now, it's Jimmy Kimmel getting yanked. 

So much for freedom of speech. 

To think that it was way last November that I wrote this:

Fractured Unity

(with gratitude to Martin Niemoller)

 

First they came for the truthtellers:

the journalists whose words aimed

to capture events, present them with

accuracy and fairness.

 

Then for the librarians, unafraid to defend

the sanctity of books, and all they hold

within their pages, even when small minds

choose to challenge what they contain.

 

After that, the teachers, whose loyalties rest always

with the children entrusted to them, guiding and

protecting them from hate and other abuse,

encouraging as they grow, like wide-faced flowers in the sun.

 

Who will remain once the truthtellers are gone?

Only the liars who know to twist words, bending them to their own mean ends.

While those who have been duped will stand open-mouthed 

hungry and broken, by having been deceived.

We can only wonder just who will be next.  

 

 

 

Give peace a chance

These days it's impossible to not be concerned about the state of the world with its many horrific wars just about everywhere. And it doesn't help to learn about new alliances such as those among the powers of China, Russia, and North Korea. 

I was probably already a bit on the edge of feeling down, remembering that today is the 24th anniversary of the Twin Towers horror. I still remember being home that day, when some kind of spidey sense made me turn on the news--just in time to see the second building be hit. 

I took a bit of comfort when I found a clue in this morning's crossword that led me to figuring out "the fruit  that symbolizes peace in China" which turns out to be the apple.  

It makes me think the idea of the apple being the 'forbidden fruit' in Eden as one I can just about believe, as it sure seems our species has pretty much always been engaged in wars. What a species. So much for having such big brains -- hard to understand how such idiocy could continue. 

Live long and prosper

Anyone who's watched Star Trek is bound to recognize the Vulcan salutation made famous by Spock, the half-human science officer on the early days of Star Trek. 

Today is apparently Star Trek Day, although it must be noted that though September 8th is the anniversary of the show's first airing in the US, here in Canada it premiered on September 6th. Maybe this was a sneak preview for benefit of William Shatner's fellow Canadians. 

Fifty-nine years (since 1966), not a bad run for a show that began with lines about the starship Enterprise and "...its five-year mission".

As for the photo, it's a T-shirt from Vulcan, Alberta, a town that celebrates all things Star Trekkian, supposedly a shirt from Starfleet Academy, where crew members took their training. As for me, I wore the shirt (even though it's well worn, over all those years of 'training' as I watched reruns of the series) to a reading I was part of this summer, a reading where I read poems I wrote about Captain Kathryn Janeway, who appeared in Voyager, a later incarnation of this beloved series. 

Overchill

These days, we're often told to 'chill' -- not to fret over things, especially when it's something we can't do much about. 

Sometimes though I think we're told to 'chill' a little too often, as the world seems crazy enough to maybe need to be a little worried about now and then. 

Last week, I at least did something more constructive than simply 'chilling' as I was involved in two political meetings. One was a forum where potential leaders of BC's Green Party were making presentations and answering questions--an interesting exercise that helped me decide who I'd prefer. 

The other was a meeting with Ernie Klassen, our newly-elected Member of Parliament. What a refreshing difference he's already making in our riding. For one thing, his office is actually OPEN Monday through Friday. The other, he's willing to meet with constituents no matter what their party affiliation might be. Such a wonderful difference from the last two MPs who've supposedly 'represented' us. 

As for me on this Labour Day, my 'labour' focussed on overdue cleaning projects, as clearly this old fridge was needing.