Tornadoes, volcanoes, earthquakes, landslides, blizzards, floods and droughts, humanities fear of change and death is cleverly disguised in our common desire to talk about the weather.
I have realized that, instead of talking about what is heavy and truly going on in someones daily personal life, we tend to talk about the weather, believing it to be inconsequential small talk. But, I’ve been thinking, the underlying reality is that with this deceptively casual topic, we are actually addressing the vulnerability of human kind when faced with the forces of nature. The weather, may be small talk for most, yet it appears to me to be a way for us all to connect on the guttural level of our collective fear of death. The weather has the potential of wiping us all out, from a devastating drought turning a continent into a desert to the freezing temperatures brought on as a result of a massive cloud of ash that hides the Earth from the warmth of the sun, bringing on another ice age. I just find it uncanny that many people live their lives turning away from the grim truth of death, while chit chatting about the weather, which can have a devastating impact on life, on a daily basis. The weather has such a huge impact on our survival that I think it’s ironic to dwell in denial while one can drink themselves to a slow death. It is unsettling to see someone make that choice while not bravely facing the topic of our inevitable and universal end.
My wish in posting this is to open a dialogue about the reality of death, and to liven up this topic. Sure this may be a morose subject, however, it’s how we live our lives that reflects our values and defines us as human beings sharing breath on this ever-changing and unpredictable planet we call home. I have a lot of faith, and one thing I have learned on the short journey this body has experienced is that change is constant, therefore I’d like to celebrate every stage of life, including the heavy emotions tied to our last heartbeat.
Right now, snow is falling on Montréal and we’re expecting 10 to 15 centimeters by the end of today.
What’s the weather like where you are?