As I have continued to discover these past few weeks, there are so many things I don’t have a clue about regarding how others live in this world we share. Though I am white, male and definitely privileged, I have also learned a great deal from the larger rainbow family I’m lucky to be part of, and I continue to learn—thanks in part to the many hard, horrible truths now being illuminated.
The world is richly colored with life! Imagine a garden with flowers of only one color or one species. Think of the vast, sterile lawns of suburbia, many of which, at least here in Vermont, were formerly verdant, rich pastures. Industrial agriculture, another glaring example of what does not work, is an ecological disaster, damaging to the rest of life, vulnerable, and held in place only by costly, artificial means.
The real world is diverse, even “weedy,” certainly full of rich colors, always responding fully to available conditions. Truly it is Eden!
One of the benefits of being closer to home these past few months, at least after I slowed my intake of “news,” is enjoying being in the gardens my yard has become over the past forty years.
Almost no mowing, a bit of weeding out some plants, and the delight of diversity. And much still to see and learn, as is the case with my seeing and learning about our society, its history and our political processes.
My deep appreciation to the Black Lives Matter movement for “fertilizing” the growth of my awareness of the brutal horrors I have unwittingly been part of. Also more clear to me than ever before, the fact that there is such incredible beauty blooming nearby when we give life even a bit of a chance in this diverse world. I am still learning to see, and will continue to use what I see to help our “garden” grow.
Still Learning To See 
Amen! You’ve said it so well with your words and your pictures. Thank you, brother John
I love how you put my day on a good track with beauty in photos and in your words. So nice to have happiness come in an email. Dianne
What a terrific thought process. With you, I share much of what you write about today. Many, many thanks for expressing this idea that many others of us are also feeling.