Nine by One
Nine things I found, learned or enjoyed this week
1. Art work of the week - High Noon in the Alps by Giovanni Segantini 1882.
Thanks as ever to Daily Art for sending me a painting every day. When I saw this one it struck a chord. It’s been weirdly hot in Usk (South Wales, UK), and it’s a reminder that we don’t get long spells of beuatiful weather here very often and that consequently our houses and way of life aren’t ideally suited to outdoor living. I’ve been out walking the hills every day, and the painting helped me to remember cool Alpine air and that extraordinary light you get at altitude.
2. An article that made me think - The people who feed America are going hungry
It’s not just tariffs and the flow of goods in and out of the USA that is dysfunctional. Many farmworkers in the U.S. struggle with food insecurity, facing rising food prices and low wages. Despite their crucial role in the agricultural industry, they often lack access to assistance programs and are largely overlooked in political discussions. Community initiatives like the Campesinos' Garden and the Pioneer Valley Wokers Center help support these workers, but more needs to be done to address their hunger and improve their conditions. An issue to watch.
3. Something I learned this week - Chimps like booze too
When a camera trap revealed chimps feasting and, most importantly, sharing fermented fruit, it shed a light on the human trope of breaking bread together. I love the idea that feasting is an instinct wired into our DNA. I've always believed story telling to be instinctual, and the latest neuroscience suggests this might be so. Our need for deep human bonds is hard-wired and alcohol and feasting it seems is just another facet of the same biology.
4. Something happy - sadness is not what it seems
The distinctly marvellous Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows notes that the word sadness 'originally meant fullness, to be filled to the brim with some intensity of experience. It's not about despair, or distraction, or controlling how you're supposed to feel, it's about awareness.' I'm not a monarchist at all, but I remember Queen Elizabeth said once, 'Grief is the price we pay for love.' Maybe if I'm sad it's only because I am full of love? And isn't that a good thing?
5. Where I found hope this week - The old pond full of flags and fenced around - John Clare (1793-1864)
I look forward to getting Carol Rumens's Poem of the Week from The Guardian and this week I got this delight from John Clare. The poem is like a painting. It gives us a window on another time, the ordinary marvels of a day when nature was abundant and people like Clare lived deeply embedded in familiar landscapes. I am a firm believer in the healing power of nature, and there's a pond in a wood near me I'm going to visit today after reading his poem.
6. Something inspiring - Mari Luz Canaquiri Murayari
Mari Luz Canaquiri Murayari, an indigenous campaigner and women's leader from the Peruvian Amazon was awarded the prestigious Goldman prize. “My grandparents taught me that there is a giant boa that lives in the river, Puragua, the ‘mother of the river’,”said Canaquiri. The spirit represents the health of the river and its personhood, according to the Kukama’s cosmovision. The question I'm left with, am I doing enough to protect the natural environment I live in?
7. A poem to enjoy - The Moon and the Yew Tree by Sylvia Plath
I am facinated by the long, long lives of yew trees, and there are several yew trees near me I visit often. Plath’s poem is marvelllous. It’s amazing to think that although we associate yew trees with churches, many of the old yew trees we see in church graveyards predate the building of even some of our most ancient churches.
8. A Substack to savour - After Babel - Jon Haidt
I’ve followed Jon’s work for years, since he published ‘What makes people vote Republican?’ in 2008. He also wrote The Happiness Hypothesis and that’s a book I go back to often. His Susbstack is focused on the harms of social media for young people in particluar. If you haven’t caught up with him lately, a good place to start might be ‘Snapchat is Harming Children at an Industrial Scale.’
9. Music I enjoyed this week - Miss Sarajevo, U2
I’ve been channeling U2 on my trips to Ledbury for the Poetry Festival. Miss Sarajevo (Live) is an epic song (Pavarotti sings on it) to listen to while driving home toward the hills where I live. It is also a reminder however, that today there is war in Europe.