A Bit of This and That
Maybe this blog post should be called "of shoes and ships and sealing wax and cabbages and kings"! It will be a bit of this and a bit of that as my mother used to say about dinner.
We have had a great break from the routine with company here for the past few days - former colleagues and friends from out west visiting the east coast for the first time. The weekend weather was cloudy with some heavy showers but warm and not at all unpleasant. Yesterday dawned with a fabulous sunny breezy day with low humidity - a perfect day we all agreed. We accompanied them in to Halifax where they will spend the next few days "seeing the sights" before moving on to other parts of Atlantic Canada to explore.
I've finished Barbara Kingsolver's book of essays Small Wonder" and I will be continuing to watch for new work from this thoughtful author. Kingsolver refers to Wendell Berry as that "great prophet of our age" and although I have never read him I did a little research and discovered a whole group of writers who are very concerned about environmental issues. Many of their articles can be found in Orion magazine and can be found online. Orion - including these writers and others - is concerned with how we might live "justly, wisely and artfully on Earth." I would say that Kingsolver, as a biologist, would first of all want us to realize that we are not above the animals but part of the animals! She says "our religious and cultural history is to deny, for all we're worth that we're in any way connected with the rest of life on earth." Reminds me of Ishmael by Daniel Quinn in which the gorilla teaches that "man" must assume his/her role as great leader/teacher from within the animal kingdom.
Now, what about blogging as dangerous to your health/ livelihood??? I've been reading about the blogger who was fired after writing about her workplace - anonymously - on her blog. Apparently, she is now suing her employer. Frankly, I can't get too enthusiastic about her case. I'm not quite sure how anyone thinks they can "let it all hang out" - however anonymously - on the 'net without taking some responsibility for what they report, pictures they post, and opinions they give! Are there not limits to personal freedom? What do you think Canary? Mulberry?
We have had a great break from the routine with company here for the past few days - former colleagues and friends from out west visiting the east coast for the first time. The weekend weather was cloudy with some heavy showers but warm and not at all unpleasant. Yesterday dawned with a fabulous sunny breezy day with low humidity - a perfect day we all agreed. We accompanied them in to Halifax where they will spend the next few days "seeing the sights" before moving on to other parts of Atlantic Canada to explore.
I've finished Barbara Kingsolver's book of essays Small Wonder" and I will be continuing to watch for new work from this thoughtful author. Kingsolver refers to Wendell Berry as that "great prophet of our age" and although I have never read him I did a little research and discovered a whole group of writers who are very concerned about environmental issues. Many of their articles can be found in Orion magazine and can be found online. Orion - including these writers and others - is concerned with how we might live "justly, wisely and artfully on Earth." I would say that Kingsolver, as a biologist, would first of all want us to realize that we are not above the animals but part of the animals! She says "our religious and cultural history is to deny, for all we're worth that we're in any way connected with the rest of life on earth." Reminds me of Ishmael by Daniel Quinn in which the gorilla teaches that "man" must assume his/her role as great leader/teacher from within the animal kingdom.
Now, what about blogging as dangerous to your health/ livelihood??? I've been reading about the blogger who was fired after writing about her workplace - anonymously - on her blog. Apparently, she is now suing her employer. Frankly, I can't get too enthusiastic about her case. I'm not quite sure how anyone thinks they can "let it all hang out" - however anonymously - on the 'net without taking some responsibility for what they report, pictures they post, and opinions they give! Are there not limits to personal freedom? What do you think Canary? Mulberry?
posted by mamie @ 10:55 AM
6 Comments:
At 8:16 PM,
Anonymous said…
I think the freedom of self-expression is definitely there, but if you're going tto write inflammatory blogs about your workplace, then accept responsibility; sometimes there are unpleasant consequences. Is there any anonymity online? If her remarks were simply innocent, then maybe she has a case...but....what did she say? I guess it depends on that.
At 11:12 PM,
mamie said…
Office love affairs, the trials of working as a single mother, generally humorous tales of things that happened to her, so she said. She said she wasn't telling company "secrets" or criticizing. Mulberry, your point about "what she said" is an important one.
At 9:25 AM,
Anonymous said…
Exactly, Mamie. Firing her was probably too drastic an action, so maybe she has a case. Bosses can sometimes be quite spiteful.
And just to comment on the book you talk about....yes, we are definitely animals, and sometimes act more savagely than the "lower" animal forms. We have superior intelligence, yes, but we often act out of greed, envy, pride, and all that bad karma. It is certainly something very important to think about and act on....our resposibility in a cosmic sense....or will we self-destruct? Hopefully, we'll carry the torch and hold it high.
At 9:39 AM,
Anonymous said…
Mamie, a couple of quotes I'd like to share that I think are relative:
"Honor the sacred.
Honor the Earth, our Mother.
Honor the Elders.
Honor all with whom we share the Earth:
Four-leggeds, two-leggeds, winged ones,
Swimmers, crawlers, plant and rock people.
Walk in balance and beauty.
Native American Elder
" When we show our respect for other living things, they respond with respect for us."
Arapaho Proverb
At 11:04 PM,
mamie said…
Thank you for your quotes Mulberry. There is so much native wisdom - we would do well to listen.
At 12:43 PM,
canary said…
I've been away and couldn't comment earlier. Regarding blogging - yes it definitely depends on what was said. In the case mentioned the blogger didn't give away any secrets, nor did she disparage the company except indirectly by commenting on her fellow employees. And she did try to be anonymous so only those who knew her, knew who and which company she was talking about. That is not much different than talking to your friends in a coffee shop. I suspect in this case a fellow employee who she disparaged got even by telling her boss. Otherwise he would not have known. The employer over-reacted. I come down on the side of the blogger - in this case- but nontheless she has to bear the consequences of her actions which she didn't forsee.
As for being friends of the earth: it behoves mankind to be careful of his home. There is a thin line between home improvement and over-renovation and needless demolition. On the other hand the earth can be a cruel and dangerous place. It also behoves us to defend ourselves -wisely and minimally- against the elements and dangerous beasts which may include our fellow humans. The native peoples quoted certainly did this.
Unless you believe - as some do - that mankind should be killed off entirely to leave the earth to itself then the question is only where the line should be drawn.
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