shapes of things

It is the familiar that usually eludes us in life. What is before our nose is what we see last.

William Barrett (1918-1992) philosopher

All things change, nothing is extinguished. There is nothing in the whole world which is permanent. Everything flows onward; all things are brought into being with a changing nature; the ages themselves glide by in constant movement.

Ovid (43 BC -17 AD)Ancient Roman classical poet

We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.

Aldo Leopold (1887-1948)writer, ecologist, forester

We're animals. We're born like every other mammal and we live our whole lives around disguised animal thoughts.

Barbara Kingsolver (b. 1955)writer and activist

I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority.

E.B. White (1899-1985) writer

It could be that our faithlessness is a cowering cowardice born of our very smallness, a massive failure of imagination. Certainly nature seems to exult in abounding radicality, extremism, anarchy. If we were to judge nature by common sense or likelihood, we wouldn't believe the world existed.

Annie Dillard (b.1945) writer, best known for her narrative nonfiction

You must teach your children that the ground beneath their feet is the ashes of your grandfathers. So that they will respect the land, tell your children that the earth is rich with the lives of our kin. Teach your children what we have taught our children, that the earth is our mother. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth. If men spit upon the ground, they spit upon themselves.

Native American Wisdom

I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.

John Muir (1838-1914) engineer, naturalist, writer

I think the environment should be put in the category of our national security. Defense of our resources is just as important as defense abroad. Otherwise what is there to defend?

Robert Redford (b. 1936) actor, director, environmental activist

notes on photos:

1. poster advertising chicago's 2007 festival of maps october 2007
2. foucault pendulum, named after the 19th century french physicist léon foucault, who created the pendulum to visually demonstrate the earth's rotation on it's axis. cleveland museum of natural history, january 2009
3. vermont view september 2005
   
4. herd of elk in point reyes national seashore, may 2004
   
5. gullfoss (golden falls) iceland, march 1999
6. eight years after its catastrophic eruption, the land around mount st. helens is a vivid visual reminder us of the incredible power of the earth, july 1990
7. eighteen years after signs of healing and recovery but nothing is the same as it was - mount st. helens, march 1998
8. the badlands national park at sunset, south dakota august 1998
   
9. outside the field museum, chicago, october 2007
   

the yardbirds shapes of things (1966) on guitar is jeff beck; who, incidentally, was inducted into the rock hall just a couple weeks ago. in 2005 q magazine included shapes of things in their list of 100 greatest guitar tracks.

for me the most powerful and fitting verse of the song for theme thursday is:

Now the trees are almost green.
But will they still be seen?
When time and tide have been.
Fall into your passing hands.
Please don't destroy these lands.
Don't make them desert sands.