Mayan @ MindSay

While in D.C. , I went to a presentation at the Library of Congress titled "Avoiding the Fate of the Mayans". The speaker was a man named Tom Sever whose job title was NASA archeologist.  He talked about using satellite imagery in the non-visible range to identify the "footprint" of past civilizations.  The jungles of Central and South America do not lend themselves to easy exploration by land in search of ancient ruins.  It is now believed that the Mayan empire included a population far larger than previously believed- millions....   They found a way to manage the water supply in this area, farm the swamp lands, and divert water into collection areas to protect against years of drought.  This allowed them to survive the eventual climate change that they created through deforestation... for many years beyond what a population that size could endure today.

The current deforestation in this area is visible as razor-sharp political boundaries between countries that allow it and those that protect the rainforest.  The climate change is evident again.  The talk was fascinating.

The statement that haunts me, though, came at the end of this speech....
Mr Sever told of how he was asked to teach a class at a university... how he was sure it would be overlooked, convinced that young people would not be interested in this new realm of archeology and ecology.  Quite the contrary, however, he found that the of few people who took his initial class- half changed their majors to environmental studies and the popularity of the class exploded to where he is now teaching four sections.  He says that it reminds him of the 60s- of the enthusiasm for making a difference through the impact we are having on our planet- on our futures.

People our age (my age), he said, often have an optimistic, unconcerned view of the situation... an attitude he attributed to a lack of investment in more than a foreseeable future- the 20 years or so they have left here.....
young people, on the other hand, see the importance and urgency of making a difference for the many years they have ahead of them!

I HAVE been relatively unconcerned... convinced, I thought, that human intelligence will see us through whatever dilemmas we find ourselves facing... that we will find a way to correct and move on.  I saw this optimism as one of experience and confidence in the human race.... is it, instead, a product of my own subconscious sense of mortality?  Do I discount the impact I could have on a new generation ready to spring into action because I am not concerned for change in my lifetime?

In my classes I have seen students approach environmental issues with a nonchalance and lack of interest.... they look at the information as one more thing to "remember".  I have been discouraged at the challenge of convincing them that the green movement is worth their time.   The "me" generation seem unconcerned about carbon footprints or potential remedies.

Perhaps I need to devote more energy into sparking the realization that they can each make a difference- that the condition of the world in their lifetime depends on what we do NOW. 

Maybe I need to be more concerned about what I can do to make the world a better chance for my grandchildren.....   Maybe I need to rethink my optimism.

Well I meant to add more quotes on the Mayan stuff I posted the other day (I got busy with work - yay! and just haven't been able to get back to it yet!) I will get back to it for now with this little tidbit - a friend shared a link to a movie that's coming out in April that really gets into the subject! It features some Mayan decendants , shaman who have some important messages to share about their traditions and apparently some information that the rest of the world hasn't been ready to hear - until now!
It's interesting stuff and I can't wait to see this movie. I'll share the link to the website promoting the movie with you and you can go and do your own exploring in the meantime!
The Movie is called The Shift Of The Ages the website address is: http://www.shiftingages.com in case you want to cut and paste by yourself. It looks eye-opening and I bet will have some incredible imagery as well as the information itself!  In Joy, Enjoy!

I'm happy to share that link with you all and hope it tickles your interest!

That's it from me for now cause I've got to get busy with final preparations for a nice dinner I'm planning for John and it won't be long before he's home - a friend just called to say, "John's on his way!"

It's my birthday and I know he's got something up his sleeve! I never worry or fret or get angry when he's late 'cause I know there's always a reason for it. Besides, most of the time we can honestly say we "know" what the other is thinking. If there was trouble or problems on his mind I'd know, even at a distance - but I know he's running late because he's "up to something" and it's just so cool 'cause what I'd planned for dinner will "keep" just fine until he's here! I also got the word from the same friend to plan to get together with friends this weekend so it sounds as though the full moon weekend - with a full lunar eclipse occuring and fully visible in south western Ontario is going to mark a remarkable weekend for us! And for now if I can I'll share a little light with you, I couldn't get the cake in through the wires - so sorry - but at least the light can shine! Enjoy! In Joy!


I decided to use some formal text and made this into a birthday greeting that I can send to others! What fun!
These are a couple of those little molten cakes, the one's with molten chocolate in the middle! Very tasty!