I’ve been uncharacteristically quiet the last several days. A week ago, my wife and I welcomed into the world our first child, a son. Mother and baby are both in great health. This is one of those great moments in a person’s life that is formative of everything to come, and which colors all of the memories that precede it.
This is also an event that brings home the reality and immediacy of the need for broad change in how our society does things. Any parent knows that they must provide a safe home for their child and ensure that they are well fed and cared for. A good parent also knows that he must thoughtfully raise his child and provide for his future. Yet, somehow, we’ve failed to recognize that we can’t make reckless use of finite resources, or produce persistent waste without limits. Ensuring that our children have everything they will need for a healthy, dignified life is no less our responsibility than feeding them and keeping them warm. This is a time of great celebration for me (not to mention a time of abject sleep-deprivation), but is also an opportunity to renew my focus on what is increasingly the work of my life, the pursuit of a sustainable community.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
O wonderful, wonderful
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7 comments:
Welcome to the little one.
I would amend your comment -- most parents know that they must provide a safe home for their child and ensure they are well fed and cared for. I see far too much abuse and neglect to believe that "any" parent knows this. However, among the majority that do, most I think recognize in some vague way that their child's fate ultimately rests their hands in a capricious world. But for a variety of reasons (to be explored at a later time) the parents feel powerless to effect that greater world, and withdraw themselves and their child into a false cocoon. This insight comes from listening to a room of bright people meeting on a whole other topic, begin to discuss the problems of the day (which they seemed to see quite clearly) but from which they (metaphorically) fled, expressing hopelessness and powerlessness, and the thought that it was perhaps best to keep one's head down, and as close to one's family as possible.
Congratulations! Treat yourself to an organic, sustainably grown, hand-rolled cigar....just not around the baby!
Oh my goodness! He is an adorable little guy! Having children really does put the future in more of an urgent perspective, doesn't it?
Congratulations a thousand times over E.R.! And I second the call for an "organic, sustainably grown, hand-rolled cigar"!
I raise my wine glass to you ERD...congratulations and good luck.
Spread your wisdom and knowledge, in much the same way you do in the blogosphere, to your child as well.
Congratulations again,
Prog.
CONGRATULATIONS to the erd household!! i hope mother is doing well!!!!! and father too, we can't leave you out... and the resemblence to you is striking!!!... i wish it health, wisdom, and the prosperity of life!!!! well done erd. well done!!!
All,
Thank you for the well-wishes. I'll pass these along to Mrs. Dunhill.
-ERD
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