Curly (Jack Palance received an Oscar for this role in City Slickers, 1991), used to say all you need to do is discover the “one thing” in your life which is the most important to you, and that will solve all of your problems.
Today, you’ve probably got a lot of important things going on. But I’m going to ask that just for a moment, today, you send your thoughts and prayers to one thing. Australia. I don’t think there’s anyone out there that hasn’t been a victim of Nature lately. You might have been hit with floods, mudslides, earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, cyclone bombs, blizzards… and stuff I can’t even imagine.
What I can imagine, because I’ve been there, is wildfire, what the Aussie’s call bushfires. Right now, their fire season has just begun, they have been in a prolonged drought and now the fires are taking everything.
The next few days are going to be really bad. But you can see from the maps, it’s already Armageddon. This is the state of Victoria’s fire map. See the running stick people? They’re running for their lives. See the red !! exclamations. If you’re not already running, you’re very probably going to die.
This is today’s fire map for New South Wales. Everything in blue is a brush fire. Those big black outlines are the size of the fire.
This is today’s fire map for Tamania. Loads of old growth ancient forests have been lost already.
Any state in Australia you might choose, has a map that looks like this. But Victoria is probably the worst right now. Winds are expected to come howling through for the next few days and temps are expected to stay sweltering.
If you don’t care about people, consider the earth itself, the ancient forests and all the animals, birds, insects, fish now at risk or total annihilation. Please say a prayer, set an intention, think a thought today for the winds to die down and blow back on the fire so it puts itself out, ask for rain showers and heavy fogs, for ways of escape to be found, for strength and resources for the fire crews.
If your faith is Buddhist, set your intention to laying down the winds and cooling things off. If you’re Hindu, talk to Agni about damping down the fire. If you’re Catholic, appeal to Our Lady of Good Counsel who beat back Australia’s massive 1847 brushfire that threatened to destroy New Norica. If you’re a non-religious person, imagine you’re a superhero and spend a few minutes mentally fighting the fire of your choice with the super power of your choosing.
Australia needs your help, your thoughts and prayers and also, if you can, your voice. There was a time, not long ago, when a US president would be calling Australia and sending our crack firefighters and their equipment and tankers and supplies via military express to help our friends. But we have a POTUS that would rather set fires in the the world than put them out.
I’m hoping the governors of the Western US states will take up the leadership role here and help the Aussies. If you’re in one of those states where you’ve benefited from mutual aid in the face of huge and overwhelming natural disaster, call your governor’s office today, and ask them to send or at least offer their state’s aid to Australia.
People, and lands, and animals being burned alive now should have to beg for help from long time allies and friends. They shouldn’t have aid held up while the POTUS thinks up a quid pro quo and busies himself with starting stupid wars with Iran just because. America needs friends like Australia. Do your friends a solid. Do one thing, today, to help. Because someday, maybe you’ll be the one on fire.
Thank you.
A Seat At The Feast 
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