DoY 210

 Who is us?

https://library.osu.edu/site/40stories/2020/01/05/we-have-met-the-enemy/

But it isn't just pollution, and in particular pollution of the forest, us is the enemy in adopting clean energy, in learning to live comfortably with each other, in adopting generosity and kindness, mercy, and forgiveness as a way of living.  (I have to admit to struggling with that "forgiveness" - see my seppuku wish for certain enemies - but I think it is necessary.)  "Humaneness ought to be part of being human," I wish.  What a silly idea!

DoY 203

 Who is us?

Us is the couple down the street who don't come out now except to drive away or to hurry from their car back into their house.  Not since she was "visited" by a deputation of male neighbors allegedly protesting her shorts and her tie-tops and their bad influence on their daughters.  Us is the teenaged boys who mostly stay inside now and don't play pickup football any more after one of them was called faggot and the other tried to defend him.  Us is the neighbor who moved to Sarasota after police botched their investigation of her rape case, and the prosecutor suggested she was hysterical.  Us is the family who moved their four daughters to a fortress after the second one was kidnapped and returned after a week.  Us is the nice lady who still visits her husband in prison, convicted of kidnap, assault, and attempted murder.  Us is the Sunday school teacher who so fastidiously helps girls rearrange their skirts to tempt him less.  Us is the preacher whom God leads to a more affluent church after he, the preacher, not God, is accused of sex with an unmarried woman.  God revels in that accusation, remember?

DoY 196

Who is us?

Ah, Pogo!  "We have met the enemy, and he is us."  It wss funny-sad then, it is funny-sad now.  How could three hundred thirty million good intentions go so wrong?  How could seven and two-thirds billion good intentions go so wrong?  I focus on us, us the UnitedStesians, the self-declared cream of the crop, the self-declared "exceptional" humans.  How are we exceptional?  Well, we have clean streets, but Canadians have cleaner.  We're rich, but the Saudis are richer, and the people of Dubai may be the richest.  We're democratic - except we never even tried for that; we did try to be a republic, and appear to have failed at that.  We tell the biggest and the loudest lies?  Maybe.  I'll not argue against that.  But anyway, us did it with good intentions.  Us was gonna be good people.  Us was gonna be clean people.  Us was gonna be pretty people.  Us was gonna be generous, kind, hospitable, and especially "nice" people.  Us was gonna be, and us sometimes claim we made it.  Us do.  And us didn't.  I think us proved the old adage about good intentions.

DoY 189 - six days past midyear

 Who is us?

Us is the critter who hopes.  As well as I can tell, a frog doesn't hope, a lion doesn't.  I can't hold my breath long enough, but I think a whale doesn't hope.  As well as I can tell, a redwood doesn't care.  A rock doesn't, at least not until it's carved into the image of a man or a woman and declared holy.  Then, apparently, the rock cares and may hope.  So in my world, us has hope to ourselves exclusively.  And us uses it well.  Us do things we know are stupid, wicked, or evil, and us hopes for good consequences.  Us hopes for good weather.  Especially if us has sacrificed to a rock.  Us hopes for a marriage without strife of bad times.  Us hopes the rich won't ride too roughshod over us, and sometimes they don't.  Us hopes for wars without casualties.  Some of us even hope we'll give up wars.  No wonder us designates ourselves homo sapiens.

For DoY 182 (1 July 2021) `

 Who is us?

Who is us indeed?  Us smiles.  Us shows us is happy.  Us has a pretty world and us wants others to know it.  Us has a house and a car, us has kids in school and doing well there, us has a job and us fits in, God smiles on us, whoever and whatever God is.  Us has the best country in the whole world ever!  How could anyone argue with any of that?  Lucky us!

For DoY 175 (24 June 2021) on DoY 182

 Who is us?

Us is nice people.  By and large, us is.  Us don't intentionally live in a world of rape, robbery, torture, and murder.  It just happens somehow, and somehow we're there.  What kind of world would I wish us made?  A world of respect for each other, thoughtfulness for each other, generosity for each other, kindness for each other, a world in which us didn't each know how superior he or she is to the rest of us.  Yeah, right.  What fun would Little Red Riding Hood be without the Big Bad Wolf and the mighty Woodsman?  What would be the point of Snow White without the Evil Queen?  Oh, those stories don't have anything to do with our own?  Well gol-ly!