Winter Coming

Winter is coming. It may seem pessimistic to think that during the high heat of August. But actually the thought gives me comfort on a hot steamy night. I know I can stop belly-aching about how hot it is and instead complain about the cold. One benefit of getting old is that one doesn't notice either hot nor cold so much, as the fact that one doesn't have the stamina one had when one was in decent shape and young. I hear if I exercise enough I can get some of that back. But mostly that ship has sailed. I'm left with creaky bones and joints that tell the weather. Winter is coming, and we must be prepared.

Above all "winter is coming" is more than a "Game of Thrones" warning of ice zombies and cold magic. It is a reality of the real world. Farmers prepare for winter all the summer. Our distant ancestors, stored up goods and foods against winter, or dry season. The unprepared faced Famine. And famine could come with any calamity. War, Pestilence, disease, these are the real common threats. And we just stupidly add to them by fighting when we should be getting ready for winter.

Are We the Ants or Are we the Grasshoppers?

Everyone should know the story. It's a theme of Joseph and Pharaoh.

The Grasshopper played his fiddle all day long. Laughing at the busy ants, who constantly were at work finding food and taking it into their cities. Then came the cold and all his food died away. He was starving and sad.

He played a sad fiddle, and the ants reminded him:

"You fiddled all summer and laughed at us."

But the Grasshopper only said;

"I'm cold now. Please have pity on me! please take me in?"

So the Ants relented and took in the poor Grasshopper. Ate him for dinner.

It doesn't pay to be a lazy grasshopper.

Enter the Locusts

It doesn't pay to be a lonely grasshopper. But sociable grasshoppers aren't much better. When things are too good, grasshoppers, who are normally solitary, some of them, produce offsprings who love each other's company. They are so sociable they change color and become these extravagant, bright shiny things. They become locusts. Then they eat all of nature's bounty and then fly off, looking for more to eat. Grasshoppers are destined to be hungry. They can't win on that score. But when they molt into locusts they cause havoc everywhere they fly.

Are People Ants, Grasshoppers or Locusts?

People aren't much different. The Steppes and plains of the world have seen rapid gyrations in population, fed by the weather. And people all over the world have migrated in response to times being bad; too much rain, not enough, disease, or other people encroaching. Sadly when times are good, they have lots of children and sometimes act like locusts. Out of the Steppes came barbarian hoards who periodically invaded China, Asia or Europe, depending on mood and following the weather. Sometimes people act like Locusts. Of course they also act like other pests at times too. Humans are very variable.

Winter is coming. When it is so hot, thank God.

Written August 10, 2017