A century ago there were 2 billion people on Earth.
Two thousand years ago we estimate 300 million people walking the Earth.
That is (out of control) exponential growth.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Tanzania are keeping our exponential growth “alive”. India is projected to surpass China as the world’s most populous country in 2023.
Since I live 45 miles from the next grocery store and having no car I decided to give Amazon and free delivery a try.
First week of November I ordered a jar of peanut butter, amongst other things. The item was in stock, but no delivery date was given. Then, a couple days later I got a notice that the item would be shipped end of November. Wait, got an update! Now I’ll get an early Christmas present: Expected delivery date: December 21st.
At that rate, I must consider an overnight trip to town, on foot or by bike. We get Continental Divide hikers coming by all the time walking that distance in a day.
Mural, Silver City, NM
Not to worry, I am not going to starve, but do we have a peanut butter shortage?
Then there was order number 2. Being an environmentally conscious guy, I ordered an item from the closest vendor, 180 miles away. The item arrived within 4 days. Nothing wrong with that. When I looked at the shipment track, I noticed the package had travelled 528 miles.
What gives? I thought the traveling salesman problem had been solved many years ago.
I am not pretending to know the meaning of life, but the quote by Nelson Henderson reminded me of recent acts of kindness that I have experienced. This post goes to all people that have opened their home, fed and supported me unselfishly.
More than ever, this is the time to think about and act having our less blessed neighbors, close by and far away, and future generations in mind. We indeed need to plant trees and take other measures to ensure the well-being of our Planet.
Nelson Henderson was a WWI veteran and a farmer in Manitoba. Apparently he was not a man of big words. Nevertheless, the above quote from his biography “UNDER WHOSE SHADE: A STORY OF A PIONEER IN THE SWAN RIVER VALLEY OF MANITOBA” by his son Wes Henderson speaks to us loud and clear.
One of my favorite books is “So let’s plant an apple tree. The time has come.” by Hoimar von Ditfurth. The author proposes humanity as incapable of recognizing its own behavior as the cause of the threat to our environment and of changing course. I tend to agree with the author, although I wish otherwise…
I will be without a vehicle for the next 4 months. This will be a test.
I am also considering living without a computer for a while. All this ever changing technology drives me crazy. For years I had a Web site that received no visitors, except hackers, that brought down the site. For weeks I have exchanged emails with support from overseas to no avail. So I am getting rid of it. This is going to happen sometime soon anyhow. The lights go out, and nobody cares. It makes me sad, but that’s the fate of digital photography.
I’ll be heading South, with a bicycle in tow. Let’s see if that lifestyle is more carefree than van life.
While I am waiting for my van being fixed, I am digging through my unpublished drafts and I am finding some morsels. While the dates may be from last year or even before that, the topics and images are fresh and in season. Enjoy.
Leaves are falling all around It’s time I was on my way Thanks to you I’m much obliged For such a pleasant stay But now it’s time for me to go
Jimmy Page / Robert Plant
The dreaded supply chain got me trapped in Alaska. I know, there are worse places to be trapped. My van is in the shop and the parts are just not showing up. In the meantime, I am stuck. No transportation…
Luckily, friends are hosting me in the meantime, otherwise this would be an even more costly and unpleasant experience. Nevertheless, I don’t want to be a burden for much longer, so I am contemplating my options, one of them being a short bicycle trip to a hot spring. I do have a 4-season tent and a good, if heavy, sleeping bag. Last night we got 2 inches of snow and temps are not creeping much above freezing in the coming days.
Bearly 