Nature, that is. Mighty though we think ourselves, we are all subject to the laws, and forces, of nature. Those forces produce the bounties that sustain us, and sometimes the storms that destroy us. Please keep your thoughts with those in Louisiana who have lost their homes and livelihoods to flooding, and donate if you are able. Whether the Romans of Pompeii or the Americans of Baton Rouge, we are all subject to the power of nature.
As always, happy Wednesday and happy reading.
This Day in History
79 CE - Mt. Vesuvius erupts, burying the town of Pompeii, and killing thousands. A few years ago I went to a traveling exhibit on Pompeii at the Discovery Zone in NYC. The preserved remains of ancient life are both compelling and tragic, and a vivid reminder that we're all tiny little pawns in Mother Nature's huge hands.
Tough Decisions
Though still unable to control the winds and waves, we are more equipped than the Romans and other ancient peoples to predict nature's violent outbursts and perhaps mitigate their effects. But we also now possess the ability to spur and create even more damage.
Armed with this knowledge, we must make tough decisions, to build a home in areas where forest fires are common, for example. The millennial generation is the first to grapple with the decision of whether to bring children into a world threatened by climate change (from the Nation). Reading this article I was reminded of the movie Interstellar, in which the urgent need for interstellar travel was a withered world, starving and suffocating from uncontrollable plant blight and scorching suns. It didn't seem like a great place to raise a child.
Octopod Intellect
Very few human beings will ever see an octopus in its natural habitat, so it's quite normal for us to see them and feel fascinated, confused, and even a bit scared. There are strong reasons to believe the octopus is having the same thoughts (from Orion Magazine).
We know there are other intelligent species: apes; dolphins; elephants. Why should octopuses not be among them? This article is an interesting expose on how octopods use their tentacles and suction pods to evaluate and interact with the world around them, a form of intelligence akin to touch, but anatomically foreign to us, and only somewhat understood.
Breaking Boundaries
Like every topic, issues pertaining to the environment have political champions and consequences. We think, most commonly, of climate change. But another, newer hot button issue is Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). GMOs are crops that have been, well genetically modified, for various purposes, usually to increase size or color or perhaps growing efficiency. Many people are understandably alarmed.
But more and more research shows there is less and less need for concern (from Vox). GMOs seem to be very safe. I included this article because I think it is important for us to keep in mind that while we cannot control nature, that not everything we do to and with nature is inherently wrong. Too often people have an impression of the eco-friendly, more primitive man who did not destroy his environment the way we are, and who would never genetically modify the crops in his hand-plowed field. Of course that man is a myth (I recommend Collapse, by Jared Diamond). The dog, my favorite animal, is a genetically modified organism, every single species selectively bred by humans for specific purposes, a process begun around 15,000 years ago.
It is only recently that we began genetically modifying organisms in labs, rather than through breeding, and perhaps it is for that reason that some people are uncomfortable, and again, that is understandable, but as GMOs are proven to be safe, it is worth considering the positives of doing our genetic modifications in labs as opposed to through breeding. Tragically, to arrive at all the myriad and wonderful dog species we have today, people had to literally kill the dogs who did not exhibit the proper traits.
The Perspective of Age
If the ferocity of storms makes us feel small and helpless, perhaps the timelessness of nature can also give us perspective. We don't need to go too macro, let's just think back to the American Revolution, about 250 years ago, a time period we can feel comfortable and confident imagining. Well during the American Revolution, this shark, still alive today, was already 150 years old (from the Atlantic).
Among people, we speak of the wisdom of age, but few humans will live to be even 1/4 as old as this shark. We conduct our lives in urgent manners, perhaps too aware of our own mortality, feeling as though so many events are monumental. But this shark has been swimming beneath the ice since well before our country existed, and its children will be swimming in the same world as our great^12 grandchildren. Thanks to Laura in MS for sharing this article!
Meet Ms. Scarlet
How.cute.am.I? I know, words fail you. It would be hard to conjure a description for this precious pup, Scarlet. Scarlet lives with her human Anna in Mississippi, and she's new to the world, and just learning how to explore, chew things, and stay cool in the Mississippi heat! Big thank you to Anna for sharing Scarlet, and congratulations on bringing her into your home!
Will's Weekly Trivia
Please be sure to share Willful Intent's new opt-in form with friends, and submit any thoughts and dog pics via the feedback form!
IF you choose to answer the question, respond to staton.will@gmail.com with your answer. Please note that by competing you are giving me permission to publish your first name in the trivia leader board each week.
Last Week:
1. Czar Ivan the Terrible was which number Ivan? EG (Edward I, Richard II, Henry V) ONE POINT
2. Which Soviet Socialist Republic was Stalin from? (Hint: NOT Russia) ONE POINT
3. What does the acronym ISIL stand for? (Note: NOT ISIS, ISIL) ONE POINT
Answer:
1. Czar Ivan IV was Ivan the Terrible
2. Stalin was from the Republic of Georgia
3. ISIL is the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.
This Week:
1. Aside from Pompeii, what was the other major Roman town destroyed during the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius? ONE POINT
2. Octopuses have eight arms. How many arms do squid have? NOTE: There are two acceptable answers, depending on if you include the squid's tentacles (as opposed to arms) ONE POINT
3. In America they're called hurricanes, in the Pacific they're called....? ONE POINT
