a thousand unbreakable lines

munch-starry-night
“Starry Night” by Edvard Munch

I would say that there exist a thousand unbreakable lines between each of us and everything else, and that our dignity and our chances are one. The farthest star and the mud at our feet are a family; and there is no decency or sense in honoring one thing, or a few things, and then closing the list. The pine tree, the leopard, the Platte River, and ourselves — we are at risk together, or we are on our way to a sustainable world together. We are each other’s destiny.
~ Mary Oliver
(Upstream: Selected Essays)

6 thoughts on “a thousand unbreakable lines”

    1. Thanks, Val. I’m doing better now — listened to a podcast by Arjuna Ardagh and read an opinion piece by Garrison Keillor. Put things into perspective for me. *hugs*

  1. Yes we are each other’s destiny…although it is somewhat difficult to see it at tough times like these. l love almost everything from Mary Oliver.

    1. It is difficult to see how we’re all in this together at times, but as many wise men have pointed out: “All men are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.” ~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

A box for your thoughts...

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.