Reasons to Stay Optimistic

Keeping in touch with the present-at-hand

These days we celebrate the Spring equinox, the beginning of a new cycle in nature. It is perhaps a better version of a new year because this time, we can really see the new beginning. The weather is getting notably warmer, maybe too warm these years, but after winter, it feels good no matter what.

Birds are singing again. Every morning, shortly after 5:30 AM, they slowly wake me up, just before the sun breaks from behind the hills. But the most crucial change is perceived by the olfactory apparatus; the smells, oh the smells, from manure to sprouting grasses and soon-to-be blooming fruit trees. Daffodils are out already. The lack of this fragrance is probably the most under-appreciated property of winter and perhaps the sole reason it makes it so dull.

Looking at nature, everything is just about to explode. The trees are still bare, but their buds are packed with juices and ready to pop. But tarragon and hop sprouts are already out! My lettuce seedlings are also looking great and are already planted outside. It is not even Easter yet!

I’m outside, flipping through my seed bags. This is the time of excitement. It feels like going through a free-for-all supermarket. I want this, and that, and maybe that… It is a time when everything seems possible. Later, nature will show its teeth, especially now with the climate change and the heat waves, but for now, one can dream of all the beautiful plants that are yet to grow.

The war in Ukraine got me very depressed earlier this month. For a week or two, I was completely paralyzed and in shock. I couldn’t write, and I had trouble sleeping. It felt like the beginning of the pandemic all over again.

Then I shut down the news and filtered it all down to headlines. I did that in March of 2020 too. It was just overwhelming. I already had so many worries about our house, my mother, and her health that I wasn’t in a position to worry about the rest of the world. I had to pick, and the choice was obvious.

I did the same this time; I am not a superman. Plus, there are people dependent on me. They need me to be strong and constructive. I have to save myself first, so I can be of help to them. Moreover, I must stay fit. The pandemic drastically reduced my risk-taking activities; I don’t ride trails with my bike anymore, climb mountains, or go on lakes and rivers with my kayak and engage in other adventuristic activities I used to love much.

I can do my part, sure, but that’s about it. I recycle all our waste, I re-use most of the packaging, I compost our organic waste and fertilize our garden with it, I grow almost 100% of our vegetables and buy the rest from local farmers, I don’t eat animal products, I try to educate people through every outlet I can think of (including this one), and I’m always looking for ways to do more. These things have become so automatic for me that I don’t even consider them as actions anymore; it is just a normal way to be.

From there on, it quickly becomes morally and practically ambiguous and can lead to dangerous interventionism. Road to hell is paved with good intentions, right? That often goes unspoken in today’s world.

“Who do you think you are? Do you think if you stand on your hands, you’ve lifted the Earth? ”

— Cixin Liu: “Death’s End”

Getting a closer focus on one’s own present-at-hand situation is crucial to remain sound in this mess, being in touch with the reality there, and keeping the outside on a need-to-know basis.

Mind your own business, but not in a selfish way. Just realize what a part of your journey is and what it is not. Accept things that come your way with grace, but don’t chase what has never been meant for you.

That is easier said than done, but the Spring makes it almost automatic. The perfumes, the musical sounds, and the blooming colors are enough to get us to dream of a different world than the one we live in right now.

Yesterday I chopped off this year’s first sprouts of nettles, hops, dandelions, and chicory for a green smoothie. No more dried herbs and frozen vegetables. We have fresh greens now.

When you partner with nature, you have every reason to be optimistic. And that should be at the foundation of a new society we build for tomorrow.