Saturday, March 28, 2020

Covid-19 (Day 16 of Self-Isolation)


In the year of the Plague it's all fine and dandy for a while and then cranky sets in. I'm trying to drag myself out of it. Irritated with myself - but not with others who are valiantly doing their very best - as we all are. Counting the blessings ain't working today. Most days, well yes. I'm not perfect (surprise, surprise).

I believe in the concept of Gaia. And have for a very long time. The hypothesis is explained quite well here, James Lovelock, in the sixties wrote extensively about it.

Here's a good summary:

The Gaia theory posits that the Earth is a self-regulating complex system involving the biosphere, the atmosphere,
the hydrospheres and the pedosphere, tightly coupled as an evolving system. The theory sustains that this system as a
whole, called Gaia, seeks a physical and chemical environment optimal for contemporary life.[1]
Gaia evolves through a cybernetic feedback system operated unconsciously by the biota, leading to broad
stabilization of the conditions of habitability in a full homeostasis. Many processes in the Earth's surface essential for
the conditions of life depend on the interaction of living forms, especially microorganisms, with inorganic elements.
These processes establish a global control system that regulates Earth's surface temperature, atmosphere composition
and ocean salinity, powered by the global thermodynamic desequilibrium state of the Earth system.[2]
The existence of a planetary homeostasis influenced by living forms had been observed previously in the field of
biogeochemistry, and it is being investigated also in other fields like Earth system science. The originality of the
Gaia theory relies on the assessment that such homeostatic balance is actively pursued with the goal of keeping the
optimal conditions for life, even when terrestrial or external events menace them

I've often been labelled a crackpot for believing this planet is a self-healing organism, wondrous in its capacity to adjust and correct and attempt now and again to throw us parasites off into kingdom come in a desperate effort to revert to its natural balance.

And now here we are, a world slowly falling silent. Skies clean, oceans breathing. Factories ceasing to belch. Gas fumes not spewing from silent cars. Everyone looking at larders, looking at minimums, decrying excess. Getting comfortable (or not) with their own vibrations.

Taking time to think.
To ponder individual journeys to this point.

This crackpot apologizes to Gaia every morning in meditation.

We have dug deeply into her core, she is bruised and bleeding but her weapons are far, far mightier than ours.

She will help us huddled masses to heal.

If we listen to her.

33 comments:

  1. Hmmm .... thoughts.
    Tread lightly, treat yourself well as you do others.
    Take care of all around you , including you.
    Share all, be all, love all.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Staying home is good for the planet. San Francisco has the cleanest air in over four years. All of this incessant travel has got to stop. Why can't people be happy where they are?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, the air is wondrously clean in all the cities. And planes have virtually stopped. We had a harbour concert tonight. All the boats acknowledging the front line workers. I heard it from here.

      XO
      WWW

      Delete
  3. We NEED to listen to her. Carefully. She has been whispering to us for a long time and now she is shouting.
    Stay safe, stay well. And hugs. Completely non-infectious hugs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you EC. Yes I whisper to her that we are in the whole good people trying to walk lightly.

      XO
      WWW

      Delete
  4. I am glad your own words explained Lovelock’s words, otherwise I might not have understood what he was saying. It’s a realisation I am coming to: once this is over we will have to change. Even the deniers will have to believe that it’s we, humans, who are causing environmental disasters.
    Already the changes are getting clearer. If Mother Earth can do it, maybe there’s hope for us.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I never do give up hope and have to shut off certain politicians who make me believe otherwise. I can't bear the evil, greed and lies, just the dark manifestations of the human spirit.
      I take such promise from the others.

      XO
      WWW

      Delete
  5. Replies
    1. Oh I do hope you get medication Ernestine, you have been through so much.

      XO
      WWW

      Delete
  6. Replies
    1. He really was incredible, David. I rarely bring him up for when I do I am viewed with upraised eyebrows and an incantation. :D

      XO
      WWW

      Delete
  7. I know the theory and believe in it, but I haven't seen the summary. I like EC's phrase about whispering to us.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Great words, WWW - Lovelock's and yours, both. Will we, or enough of us, learn from this lesson? I'm not sure that the worst of this pandemic will hit enough of those who have been instrumental in having done the most to get us to this dreadful point, and so do the necessary teaching. We can hope though. If not sufficient change this time around, there'll be worse lessons to come. This could have come as our last chance.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I believe it is our last chance too, T. There is nowhere else to go now and this chain rattling and hatred of Asia has to stop. They just shipped us loads of medical supplies, we had done the same when they were in crisis.

      Humanitarianism. A word so foreign to some.

      XO
      WWW

      Delete
  9. I have no doubt the world will emerge from this illness better, and will stay better for some time. Yes, it is like she's shrugging off the parasites.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am hoping exactly the same Joanne. We have to do better than we have and it is a great opportunity.

      XO
      WWW

      Delete
  10. She is bruised and bleeding, but she will heal and recover if only we let her, give her time. She has given us so much, now it is time to give back.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can see the new movement in my head and I am hoping with all my heart we are paying attention. Clean up the air and oceans. Stop the mad consumerism. Live smaller and richer in the real sense of the word.

      XO
      WWW

      Delete
  11. I do believe the earth has immense powers to heal herself but I also think she needs us to help.
    However these things work, I'm delighted that she has time to rest and recover. I'm delighted that humans are being forced to reassess but I have a dim view of humanity and suspect that all the damaging old habits will soon reappear with avengeance

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh I so hope not Kylie, that would be pretty awful but my inner cynic does come out on bad days and despair can set it. We are such a sad species but have endless possibilities.

      XO
      WWW

      Delete
  12. Yeah, cranky is hard. It's very difficult to maintain an even keel in isolation. Things are being upended now and where it stops we can't predict. Could be good, could be bad. I personally am very sad that Takaya was killed by hunters, boy do we have a long way to go! Maybe we're just not up to the task, maybe Gaia needs to take a good hard look at what to save and what to lose.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I remember reading a book a few years ago "The World Without Us" and it was fascinating how quickly she healed after she tossed us off. It had pictures of all our famous structures embraced by vines, etc. And loads of birds and fish. And blue rivers and animals strolling the bridges.

      XO
      WWW

      Delete
  13. Gaia is a very interesting concept. I guess the self correction takes into account the extinction of the dinosaurs which ruled the earth for millions of years.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I believe it was some sort of asteroid that wiped out those dinos Gigi, maybe one is heading our way to wipe us out too? Maybe this virus came from an asteroid?

      XO
      WWW

      Delete
  14. Well, I'm not sure I believe in the Gaia theory, but certainly the virus epidemic has drastically reduced climate pollution to healthier levels after years of politicians humming and hawing over bringing in the necessary measures.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They would never bring in the measures Nick. Never. Greed is killing us. Covid will save us.

      XO
      WWW

      Delete

Comments are welcome. Anonymous comments will be deleted unread.

Email me at wisewebwomanatgmaildotcom if you're having trouble.