No. 106 (9-30-15)
It’s been an exciting past week, highlighted by Pope Francis’s eagerly anticipated visit to the U.S. In general, Americans have received his inspiring, moralistic speeches positively, although both liberals and conservatives disagree over certain hot topics. While liberals enthusiastically support the pontiff’s pronouncements on climate change and socio-economic equality, conservatives mostly ascribe to his pro-life views. (I suspect that, in the next 40 or so years, as overpopulation is finally viewed as a systemic problem, future pontiffs will eventually endorse the moral benefits of family planning and birth control, in keeping with a growing trend among developed countries.)
As Courtney White explains in her article, “Little Normals” (see Solutions), we need to appreciate the various forms of normality we experience daily—pleasant memories, humor, contacts with friends, positive experiences, and so on. For example, Bettye and I were fortunate to spend a post-Labor Day week on the incredibly beautiful North Shore of Lake Superior, and each day we experienced natural wonders that appear to be normal, and apparently unchanging—the magnificent lake, the large rolling hills, the many rushing, rocky streams, and the occasional sightings of wildlife, especially soaring eagles.
You’ll probably be glad to learn there will be no newsletter for the next two weeks, until 
Like many Americans, I’m not very enthusiastic about economic or financial concerns. I like what money provides, but I don’t worship it. Thankfully, our parents had lived through the Great Depression, and from them we learned the value of honestly earned money, along with important lessons about using it wisely, saving as much as possible, and avoiding debt. Bankruptcy was considered a major sin, and was to be avoided it at all costs. Nowadays, of course, it’s more socially acceptable—and even a practical path to resolving crippling debt.
Here’s an appropriate metaphor for illustrating our relationship with the planet: the earth’s battery is slowly running out of energy. Millions of years of stored sunlight—in the form of fossil-based carbon—are rapidly depleting, thanks to humanity’s enormous hunger for accumulating excessive stuff, depending on work-saving devices and services, and enjoying experiential opportunities. The first article in Views—“The Earth’s Battery is Running Low” by Andrew Nikiforuk—explains this metaphor, so I’ll not elaborate further.