the good life

dear mr. chubs,

before you were born, before you were even a single cell in my womb, i wondered if bringing you into the world was the right thing to do. humans have created a lot of problems, and we don't seem to know how to solve them. you were born, though, and with your birth the question of your inheritance was laid to rest. you have inherited the shortsightedness of many generations along with the responsibility for a continuing future of living things on a living planet.

now that you are here, i wish you these things:

may your weather patterns be stable
may you find a place for yourself among the crowd
may you have access to wild places to renew your spirit
may you share the land, water, and sky with organisms of every kind in copious abundance
may the world around you get cleaner, purer, more radiant
may your forests grow in abundance
may your oceans, lakes, and rivers teem with fat fish
may your necessary engines continue to run
may your essential roads remain navigable
may your waters run freely
may your lands remain fertile
may you feel connected to you friends, your family, your neighbors, your countryfolk, and all citizens of the world
may you live peacefully and lovingly amidst difference
may you have less desire to possess goods, and more desire to be good

my sweet little bear, i wish you a long life and i wish you a good life and i hope those two wishes are compatible.