Friday, May 4, 2012

Friday, May 4

I just heard the first hummingbird of the season - they typically show up on the last weekend of May, but this year they seem to be on the same trend as the aspens, which are leafing out 20 days early, according to a local record-keeper.


Do I, in general, want it to be warmer here with longer summers?  Of course.  It is never hot enough here for me and I love wearing little to no clothing if possible.  Does the arrival of blooming bulbs, greening trees and summer birds make me happy?  Surprisingly not. 


We have all heard the whole End Of The Mayan Calendar Dealio by now, right?  December 21, 2012.  I would hazard a guess that most people, upon hearing this, glom this forecast into the same group of doomsday/apocalyptic forecasts that have proven false over the past few decades.  The magical date came and went, and each time the predicted date and predicted dates following, lost more credability (if there was any to begin with).


When we look back over the history of the world, the same number of "most people" (perhaps with the exception of Christians who actually believe the Bible depicts real events in history) would also agree that there are different Ages that are hallmarks not just of geologic epochs, but also periods of time in human history.  There are turning points in civilization that the people living at the time perhaps did not see as such, yet they were still turning points.


Ice Age, Bronze Age, Iron, Age, Middle Ages, Enlightenment, Renaissance, Roman Times, Age of Aquarius, etc...  We now have the clarity to look back and be able to define periods of time in human history that the humans living at that time were unable to do because they were so immersed in them.


What if, for the first time in history, have the clarity to see the beginning of an era approaching?  What if the Mayans weren't predicting the End Of The World but the end of the world As We Know It?  What if the world isn't actually going to end on December 21, but from that point forward things are different enough that we can start to define our place in history with a new identity?


What is undeniable is this: our planet's weather patterns are changing.  It might not be as obvious to people who tend to live in climate-controlled homes-cars-work-homes on a daily basis and don't really see that an aspen grove's growing season has been extended by almost a month, and maybe don't notice that certain birds in their yards stick around for the winters now.  But it is very obvious to those of us who remember distinctly different weather patterns from childhood and youth, and the way nature reveals herself to you through all her creatures and plants and water levels and storms.


The earth is hotter and dryer now that it was previously.  Indisputable.  We are immersed in it, and many of us are simply unable to see that.  Yet.


The Mayans might not have known we would be entering a Fire Age at the start of 2013.  But the writing is definitely on the wall now.

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