Musings on my week

posted in: Life and things, Photography | 3
This is where we live - NASA
This is where we live – NASA

This week is all a bit introspective and doom and gloom, so feel free to  scroll down to the photos.

I read an interesting article recently about the times we live in, and how many of us (including me) think it’s a very dangerous time. Is it me or is the world going crazy? Well worth a read. There’s a lot to like about what he has to say, and certainly the spread of social media has had a profound impact on where we source our news, and what we read.

And yet… Humanity never seems to learn. Since 2014, and for a few years yet, we have ‘celebrated’ the centennial of the Great War, with regular articles of one battle after another. We don’t get that for the Napoleonic Wars – just Waterloo, and Trafalgar. The Napoleonic Wars devastated Europe and its population it took decades for mainland Europe to recover, and incidentally, that was one of the reasons why Britain, which went through relatively unscathed, came to dominate the Western world. [Gets off history lectern]

Me, I’m a bit over heroism and sacrifice and fighting for our future, our very way of life.  Sorry, Australian troops in WW1 were certainly heroic and sacrificed their lives or their health in these awful battles. But they were cannon fodder, used up and spat out in a war which had even less to do with them than it had to do with the rural villagers of Britain, mown down by the German machine guns. All that war did was sow the seeds for the next one, in which our soldiers did indeed fight for our future, our very way of life – with their backs to wall.

Which brings me back to what’s happening now.  More and more, the world is beginning to resemble the political playing fields of the nineteen thirties. Putin is effectively dictator of Russia, making no secret of his expansionist policies. Erdogan, in Turkey, manufactured a coup to help seal his own despotic rule, to me reminiscent of Hitler’s Night of the Long Knives. The West is worried about Islamism (not ordinary people worshipping a God but fanatical nut jobs bent on murdering innocent people – which is reminiscent of the spread of Islam in the 8th and 9th century). The USA is turning ever further right wing, mass shootings have become commonplace.  “Democracy” is failing. And when will the West learn that you cannot force democracy on people? Nor can the West hope to assimilate millions of refugees with radically different beliefs and societal mores. You have only to look at the experience of women in German cities attending New Years Eve celebrations, where they were set upon and sexually assaulted by hordes of young men.

Seems to this old biddy that we’re heading into dangerous global waters. But meanwhile, here’s a few more insect shots for us all to enjoy.

Two dragonflies doing what dragonflies were designed to do
Two dragonflies doing what dragonflies were designed to do
IMG_2727
A European bee and tiny native Australian bees all drawn to the nectar on a waterlily
A tiny native bee collecting honey from a scaveola flower
A tiny native bee collecting honey from a scaveola flower
And to finish, a butterfly captured in flight. Do you know how hard that is to do?
And to finish, a butterfly captured in flight. Do you know how hard that is to do?

3 Responses

  1. Eva Caye

    Whereas I read an article recently (wish I had bookmarked it) explaining just how safe and productive our societies are as compared to any time in history. That the problem is the NEWS and the deliberate fear-mongering by our hidden overlords to jar us into supporting even more wars, etc.

    I agree; I think almost every bit of news by mainstream media is psychological warfare directed against us. People have always gone off the deep end, gone postal and shot or butchered people, but you hear about it all the time now because we’re all connected by phones and computers. The mainstream media makes sure of it, morphing the story ever-so-slightly every single time so no one knows what’s real and what isn’t anymore. Ex: I just don’t ‘buy’ into the story that a mother, a Muslim woman barely 100 lbs, could handle any kind of semi-automatic rifle, nor would she want to. Not even at the behest of her husband.

    • Greta

      What you’re saying is true. But sadly, too many believe what they’re told. They did in Germany in the 1930’s. Today people can find out the truth more easily. But only if they want to.

  2. Julia Barrett

    Yeah, I agree with every single thing you’ve said, except in the States we are bordering on all out war between right and left. The left, perhaps not so strangely, would be the most totalitarian. Very reminiscent of earlier European/Levant history. Not good. Thank god for the lovely photos!
    We are so egotistical. I take comfort in the fact that no matter what we do, nature will survive our worst excesses.

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