Mastery of Ourselves

From the Slow Tarot, the Hanged Man; from the ROAR Oracle, Rachel Carlson:

In an increasingly complex, unpredictable world, what matters most isn’t IQ, willpower, or confidence in what we know. It’s how we deal with what we don’t understand.

― Jamie Holmes

Sometimes our sacrifice comes in realizing that while we may have some influence in our world, we don't actually control much but ourselves. And even that only comes with awareness, often after we've attempted to push, pull and prod people and situations to respond the way we want without results. Rachel Carson was a marine biologist, nature writer and ecologist. Her books pointed out that humans were just one part of nature distinguished primarily by their power to alter it, in some cases irreversibly. Her investigations lead her to write Silent Spring, which warned that the prolific use of pesticides in agriculture and by the government were having long-term effects on the natural world. She stated: "I think we’re challenged as mankind has never been challenged before to prove our maturity and our mastery, not of nature, but of ourselves." Like Carson, we can present the evidence, offer suggestions, and continue to spread the message in an attempt to influence others. But we can also be a role model for for changes we seek.