Beautiful World

At the risk of sounding serious, I have to admit that it’s hard work to see beauty in the world sometimes. The dictators of the world wreak their horrors in every corner of the world. Natural disasters and chaos strike without warning. Environmental disaster looms heavily because of our own avarice and inaction. There is so much nasty business going on that sometimes, it seems impossible for beauty to survive.

Don’t get me wrong. I haven’t been depressed about things. I have merely had a focus on the persistent negativity in the world. Being a newshound and a keen observer of things can have it’s drawbacks. A couple of events have helped shake this rather cynical world view that I’ve had lately.

I discovered that a long term customer of mine is leaving his comfortable life in southern Ontario to move to Sudan for a few years. He’s going to help the local folks improve their water systems as part of a missionary effort. I dare say that the vast majority of us wouldn’t contemplate such a thing. I’m at the top of the list. While I hope I don’t attach too much importance to the accumulation of wealth, it sure is nice living in the western world in comparison to east Africa from all reports. While I don’t particularly agree with missionary activity, it is hard to fault his motives or think badly about him helping provide such a critical necessity to these desperately poor people. I couldn’t help but shake his hand and wish him the best, because it’s a great thing he is undertaking.

As many of you may know, I’ve had a bit of a struggle with my eyeballs this year. I have begun to settle into a pattern of wondering whether I’ll recover enough of my vision to see things in a way that I might recognize as “normal”. Self doubts appear. When I compare notes with other people who have had a lifelong use for glasses, I guess I should just shut my big yap. Handsome Jack, and her husband Jibber joined PJ, Sassinak and I for a barbecue this past week. When the subject turned to my eyesight, we compared notes, and I realized I wasn’t so bad off. My vision isn’t as good as it was before my bilateral optic neuropathy, but even now, it’s improving 7 months later. The best part is breaking the pattern of doubt, and realizing that the improvements are still happening. Impatience is my worst enemy in this battle.

 Realizing that there is good in the world, and that good things are happening to me too isn’t such a bad thing. Just when I think the whole world has lost it’s collective marbles, along comes a guy doing a selfless thing like my customer. Just when I think my grasp of the world has somehow loosened, I notice a little more colour in a small flower at the side of the hiking trail.

I have got to stop reading the news, and paying attention to the donkey-raping-shit-eaters of the world. I’m gonna go walk the dog now.