It’s the same right down to the equator, and then past the equator, south to the southern ends of the world. Certain inhospitable areas everywhere had been almost empty of humans all along; now these have been connected up by habitat corridors, and the animals living on these emptier lands are protected and nourished as needed. Often this means just leaving them alone. Many are now tagged, and more all the time. There is coming into being a kind of Internet of Animals, whatever that means. Better perhaps to say they are citizens now, and have citizens’ rights, and therefore a census is being taken. Watersheds upstream from cities are adopted by urban dwellers who observe their fellow citizens from afar, along with making occasional visits in person. Wild animals’ lives and deaths are being noted by people. They mean something, they are part of a meaning. Not since the Paleolithic have animals meant so much to humans, been regarded so closely and fondly by we their cousins. The land that supports these animals also supports our farms and cities as well, in a big network of networks.
What’s good is what’s good for the land.
There are fewer humans than before. The demographic peak is in the past, we are a little fewer than we were before, and on a trajectory for that to continue. People speak now of an optimum number of humans; some say two billion, others four; no one really knows. It will be an experiment. All of us in balance, we the people, meaning we the living beings, in a single ecosystem which is the planet. Fewer people, more wild animals. Right now that feels like coming back from a time of illness. Like healing, like getting healthy. The structure of feeling in our time. Population dynamics in play, as always. Maybe that makes us all living together in this biosphere some kind of supra-organism, who can say.
In a high meadow, wild bighorn sheep. Their lambs gambol. When you see that gamboling with your own eyes, you’ll know something you didn’t know before. What will you know? Hard to say, but something like this: whether life means anything or not, joy is real. Life lives, life is living.
98
Notes for Mary’s last meeting, taken for Badim again. All in attendance except Estevan, who is in Chile. Also Tatiana of course. Someone took away her chair.
All stand as Mary comes in late. Mary shakes head. People, please. Sit. Let’s get down to business, there’s things to do.
We laugh at her. First pleasure, then business. Retirement cake on coffee table, etc. A little party, quick and subdued, as Mary obviously doesn’t like it. She adjusts to the idea as people toast her with coffee. Changing of the guard, she says. The winter general, handing things over for the spring charge. Etc. Toasts. Awkward.
Then everyone to their usual places around the table. Mary convenes meeting, looking relieved.
M: All right, thanks for that. Yes, I’m retiring. Going emerita. Very happy Badim has agreed to take over. The secretary general and all other relevant parties have agreed to this and have named him acting minister. I’ll be trying to see to it that they make it a permanent appointment. That would be good for all.
Badim thanks her. Looks at her as he always does: mongoose regarding cobra. She likes that he regards her as a problem to solve. Still.
M: Want to stay involved but without messing things up. Ambassador for the ministry, agent at large, that kind of thing. Available for whatever.
Janus Athena: Staying on as minister?
People laugh. J-A smiles briefly at Badim to indicate joking, but several are nodding. Badim among them. He says, At least go to the San Francisco meeting for us. I think you need to do that one.
M: I’m done. It’s your turn now. Everyone has to do what they can in their time. Then it’s time to pass it along. All of you will get to this point sooner or later. Hanging on too long never good. I may have done that already. But you’re all young. Me, I’m done. I’m around if you need me. I’ll stay in Zurich. Professor at the ETH and so on.
Badim: You’ll always be welcome. In fact, we need you.
Mary smiles. I doubt that. But it’s all right. It’s time.
99
We’re here today to discuss whether any of the so-called totalizing solutions to our current problems will serve to do the job.
No.
I suppose I have to ask, do you mean no to the question or no to the topic.
No to the question. There is no single solution adequate to the task.
And so what can we expect to see?
Failure.
But assuming success, just for discussion’s sake, what shape might that take?
The shape of failure.
Expand on that please? A success made of failures?
Yes. A cobbling-together from less-than-satisfactory parts. A slurry, a bricolage. An unholy mess.
Will this in itself create problems?
Of course.
Such as?
Such as the way like-minded people working to solve the same problem will engage in continuous civil war with each other over methods, thus destroying their chances of success.
Why does that happen, do you think?
The narcissism of small differences.
That’s an odd name.
It’s Freud’s name. Means more regard for yourself than for your allies or the problems you both face.
Well, but sometimes the differences aren’t so small, right?
The front is broad.
But don’t you think there’s a real difference in for instance how people regard the market?
There’s no such thing as the market.
Really! I’m surprised to hear you say this, what can you mean?
There’s no more of a real market behind what we now call the market than there is gold behind what we call money. Old words obscure new situations.
You think this happens often?
Yes.
Give
