is it gay to be an artist

22

of these magnificent ancient creatures still alive on this world. and I was aware of this at that age because nearly half of them were in a very secretive building on a hilltop near my house, in a last ditch effort by conservation scientists to breed and raise babies.

fifteen. Just born. this season. I cry tears of joy.

When I was born there were zero condors in the wild. And only about 18 in captivity. Now, there are over 350 flying free and they are breeding in the wild. And now we have 15 babies that hatched and are being raised in captivity with intent to release and even MORE hatching in the wild.

We fixed it. We can fix it. We did and we can and we have and we will. We fixed it with Silent Spring making lots of people wake up and move together to get DDT banned and start cleaning up our house together, and pass laws making sure it stayed clean and good for everyone who lives here. Clean air regulations do this. Smog checks do this. DDT and pesticide regulations do this. Regulating industry and monitoring them heavily and constantly monitoring the water and the air and the land do this.

I say this because I think it's very easy for people to not connect up which laws and regulations help, and it's very easy for people to think that all we need to do is just captive-breed animals and release them into the wild again. No. We need to make sure Earth, our home--everyone's home--is taken care of, and that we tread carefully and with respect to everyone else that lives here with us. We need to be neighbourly to the animals and the plants we share our home with.

But we are terraformers, that is part of our species just like it's part of elephants and wolves and bison. It's just part of what we do. And with that power we have to make a choice: to harm everyone including ourselves or to heal everyone including ourselves.

It's like the man said: Unless someone like YOU cares a whole awful lot, nothing's going to get better--it's not.

And lots of people DO care a whole awful lot. Many people who care a whole awful lot devote their whole lives to planting that truffula seed, and treating it with care, and giving it clean water, and feeding it fresh air. And planting a forest. And protecting it from axes that hack.

And whaddya know? It works! Because that's what we DO--we can raze a whole forest, or we can plant one. We shaped the whole world into neighbourhoods we wanted. And there are way more people, more generations of people, who care about the neighbourhood, than there are people who don't. And it's important to remember that, as you plant your truffula seeds--you are not the only one out here planting them, and protecting them so they can grow! Take heart from that, you are not alone, you are not the only one who cares, who finds delight in the triumphs, who keeps working on solutions.

Love the soft, curious moments of them sharing about their own cultures, biology, etc. I do think Rocky would have a field day when Grace explains skin as a very sensitive and permeable organ with lots of stuff packed tight on the surface. Since goosebumps are very tactile, I thought Rocky would enjoy hearing those.

Also, bonus.

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