Waitiing in the Wings

I've recently been watching a video which gave me pause for thought.
May I share some of these thoughts with you?

As I see it, the world is in need of imaginal cells.
What do I mean?  Let me explain.
Imaginal cells are the cells inside the caterpillar which emerge in the larval stage and slowly unite to form the butterfly.  As the caterpillar's other cells disintegrate, so these new cells gain strength.

Ultimately, a previously hungry, destructive, earthbound life-form is changed from within to become an air-bound creature of delicacy and beauty.


I wonder, did something else come to mind as you read that description?
Wouldn't you agree that, at this point in time, our world is caught up in a similar state of confusion and self-destruction . . .  and that we, too, are desperately in need of imaginal cells to bring about a similar transformation?

We won't dwell on the confusion and antagonism that is surging around at the moment . . . let's look instead for the possible existence of those life-changing cells.

First of all, surely they can be found in all activists for climate change, and in every effort being made to conserve the environment, and to show love and respect for our fellow creatures?  Only this week, an imaginal cell was activated in Oxford.  The principal of St. Edmund Hall, Prof. Katherine Willis, made the inspired decision to coat the walls and terraces of the college with flowers, plant life and shrubbery.  What a pleasure for every passer-by . . . what a benefit to the Oxford environment.

And that wasn't all this week.  It's only a matter of days since the Girl Guides in the UK made a pledge to tackle plastic pollution.

Imaginal cells are found in trust, compassion and understanding.  They thrive on happiness and love, and shine the light of positivity into the darkness of negativity.

It would seem that we have a choice to make . . . are we to be part of the disintegrating and self-destructive caterpillar, or imaginal cells with our sights set on future transformation?

Is there a butterfly waiting in the wings . . . ?

We can only hope.

To watch the two-minute video I mentioned at the beginning,  click here  . . and enjoy!

What can we do?

At a time when we're all badly in need of good news, I apologise for drawing your attention to a powerful video that's far from encouraging.
It lasts for little more than one minute, but it packs some hard punches.

And the subject it covers?
Yes, you've guessed . . . it's plastic.

As we learned last week, micro-plastic particles have somehow managed to spread to the remote, snowy wastes of the Arctic.  Plastic, it seems, has permeated every corner of our planet.

How did it achieve such a feat?  To give you one alarming example, whenever plastics are dumped in landfills, the hazardous chemicals seep underground when it rains, infiltrating into the aquifers and water table and indirectly affecting groundwater quality.  It's a sobering thought.

And that isn't all.   Did you know, at this moment, you and I are inhaling particles of plastic?
Recent comprehensive tests, undertaken in both urban and rural areas, have shown conclusively that plastic particles are to be found in the atmosphere.  What's more, they're now known to have infiltrated the food we eat.

And things get worse.  Plastic, which was originally made from cellulose found in plants and trees, is now almost entirely made from oil, natural gas, coal and minerals.
It could well be said that, in excavating for the source of plastic, we are making a major contribution to climate change.


However, it's a complex situation because there are other important factors.
Did you know that here, in the UK, we produce over one and a half million tonnes of plastic raw materials annually?
Not only that, with the UK's plastic processors consuming over three million tonnes, the UK is one of the five top processors of plastic in the EU.

I'm typing this letter to you on a plastic keyboard,  I've just been speaking on my plastic telephone . . . plastic is big business.

Yet, whilst accepting that plastic is now an inevitable component of modern life, with a factor to play in our economy, surely we should be attempting to remove the large percentage of unwanted plastic that our thoughtlessness has allowed to escape into the environment?

If, as it would appear, we are all of us breathing, eating and drinking invisible particles of plastic on a daily basis, isn't it time to take action?
Surely we should be doing everything we can to extract it from the air, the water and the soil?

With which thought in mind, let's return to the video I mentioned at the start of this letter.
I'm sure you'll agree that it needs to be seen, it needs to trigger our anxieties and activate our future actions . . . so, please click here.

LATER
Thank you so much, Marion, for your immediate response, and for telling me of the tiny nation which is waging war on plastic - there's still room for hope.
Let me share this encouraging development . . .  click here.