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Kenneth James's avatar

I am too tired this evening to leave a very thoughtful comment (a long telephone conversation with one of my daughters that lasted into the wee hours of the morning and was worth every moment); but if I may, here are a few items:

The kind of progress that Linklater seems to celebrate (or at least apologize for), is, among other things: a progress that presupposes human superiority, human happiness as the greatest good in the cosmos, human ownership (dominion) of nature, a planet of infinite abundance, and a planet of infinite resilience. If there were such a fiendish beast as Satan (There isn’t. Satan is a mere metaphor for the evil that dwells like a wolf on a leash within every human soul), he could contrive no more effective way to wreak his havoc than to plant these cancerous lies into the minds of humans.

Not sure I’m tracking on the issue of Substack notifications.

I do a lot of self-talk, and just about every time I go for a walk I tell myself at some point during the trek: “This was an excellent decision, Kenneth!"

On the subject of dusting I am reminded of the poem ‘Dust if you must' by Rose Milligan:

“Dust if you must, but wouldn't it be better

To paint a picture, or write a letter,

Bake a cake, or plant a seed;

Ponder the difference between want and need?

Dust if you must, but there's not much time,

With rivers to swim, and mountains to climb;

Music to hear, and books to read;

Friends to cherish, and life to lead.

Dust if you must, but the world's out there

With the sun in your eyes, and the wind in your hair;

A flutter of snow, a shower of rain,

This day will not come around again.

Dust if you must, but bear in mind,

Old age will come and it’s not kind.

And when you go (and go you must)

You, yourself, will make more dust.”

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Lindsey Melden's avatar

I just got your walking book from my local library and can’t wait to get started. Love this essay and all the thoughtful questions you ask. I just finished reading a book called “open-air life” and one of the most interesting things to learn was about swedens property laws and how most land (even private owned) is open to the public!

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