Heroes Not Zombies

Look at this blossom! There are several trees around here which are absolutely laden with blossom. They won’t last long, but aren’t they glorious?

I know that cherry blossom holds a special place in the hearts of Japanese people, and at this time of year the TV and newspapers publish maps of the country tracking the appearance of the blossoms from the south to the north of the country. I’m not aware of any other country where that happens.

Like the Japanese I celebrate the blossoms for two reasons – their beauty, and their transience. The blossoms bring me great joy. They delight me and inspire me. They amaze me and bring me right down into the here and now to wonder at their glory.

They are fabulous for reminding us of the importance of savouring the day, of fully living in, and appreciating, the present moment. They are great for remembering just how special are living forms of all kinds, not least because they constantly change and grow, but because they are not here forever.

But there’s another lesson here – abundance. Nature loves to do abundance. Nature isn’t into meanness. It’s our system of economics and management which creates scarcity and pares everything back to bare essentials in the interest of something called “efficiency”….which isn’t efficient at all in terms of adaptation, resilience or growth.