Monthly Archives: May 2019

Thistle And Bee

Posted on May 31, 2019 by ivonprefontaine

Kenne is a wonderful photography and poet. In this post, he provides beautiful art along with a quote from Alan Watts.

Watts was an early interpreter of Eastern philosophies. In his book, The Wisdom of Insecurity, he distinguishes between faith and beliefs. To have faith, one accepts what comes. According to Watts, we reduce our anxiety. To believe, one fits the world to fit those beliefs. In this case, we create doctrine and dogma, religious and otherwise, to suit what our beliefs are. We become anxious in our defense of our beliefs.

When we have faith, we accept what comes and we are part of the larger whole. When we have a belief system, we defend it and treat people and things as if they are resources and disposable. Nature is something exploitable and not something to enjoy and protect.

When I look at the picture Kenne shared, I am reminded how each person, being, and thing is somehow intertwined with everything else. The bee depends on the flower and we depend on each of them in particular ways. We treat the thistle as a weed, rather than as a source of food for the bee and the bee’s honey a source of food for us. Without either of them the universe is diminished. As Watts suggested, we have to see and listen with the eyes and ears of the universe to appreciate the universe’s magnifence.

Yellowstone Elk

I took this picture several years ago in Yellowstone National Park. I was about 20 feet away from this elk with my camera and a few trees between him and me. He knew I was there. A moment before he looked at me, seemed to sense I was not a threat and went back to eating. I did not move suddenly and kept my eye on him each moment I was down there.

Posted in Community, Leadership, Mindful Life, Nature in All Its Glory, Photography, Reflective Moments, teacher as transformer, Uncategorized, Writing and tagged Alan Watts, Art, Becoming is Superior to Being, blogging, Buddhism, environment, faith, Kenne Turner, nature, photography, relationships, writing, Yellowstone National Park. Bookmark the permalink. 12 Comments

Dr. Seuss

Posted on May 29, 2019 by ivonprefontaine

via Dr. Seuss

Heather offers three Dr. Seuss quotes. I am particularly taken by the third one, which calls on me to step with care and tact.

Regardless of where I am, I am with people, in the world, and in relationships. It is easy to take these for granted. Often, children and youth embrace differences more readily than adults.

Through the use of satire, made up words, and unusual characters, Theodor Geisel took a stand against bullies, hypocrites, and demagogues. I think his characters depict pluralism we live in. Yes, there is no Lorax, Yertle the Turtle, or Cat in the Hat, but we can appreciate and defer to the beauty of their differences. Even within differences, I find more similarities and common ground with others.

We need this in the world we co-inhabit with other beings, sentient and non-sentient. Too often, people who masquerade as leaders tell us to see difference as problematic, to see Nature as something to exploit, and to separate ourselves from our better angels. Perhaps our better angels are Thing 1 and Thing 2.

I retrieved this image from Clip Art Mag.

Posted in Community, Education, Humour, Leadership, Mindful Life, Reflective Moments, Social Justice, teacher as transformer, Uncategorized and tagged community, creativity, differences make a difference, Dr. Seuss, education, leadership, life is beautiful, mindfulness, nature, servant-leadership, social justice, stewardship, teacher as transformer. Bookmark the permalink. 2 Comments

“Whether we and our politicians know it or not, Nature is party to all our deals and decisions, and she has more votes, a longer memory, and a sterner sense of justice than we do.” — Art of Quotation

Posted on May 27, 2019 by ivonprefontaine

via “Whether we and our politicians know it or not, Nature is party to all our deals and decisions, and she has more votes, a longer memory, and a sterner sense of justice than we do.” — Art of Quotation

I have been remiss in my blogging lately. It has been busy with moving, building a new house, writing a collaborative scholarly paper, grandchildren on the way, and visiting our one grandson. I plan on being more faithful and maybe doing some writing to go with presses.

Gigi has a wonderful blog filled with quotes, poetry, and images. She shared a Wendell Berry quote to remind me how I am part of nature, not separate.

This post reminded me of something my mother used to tell us growing up: “birds do not spoil their nests.” Ecology and economy share etymology, coming from the Greek oikos. Besides being a Greek yogurt, it means household and how we care for that household. When I think about Nature from this perspective, I want to treat Her well and be in full relationship with Her.

I took this picture about a year ago, as we walked out of the United Church in Radium Hot Springs, BC. It is wonderful to find one’s self so close to all God’s creatures.