I Know I'm Supposed To Hate You
Tansy Ragwort, Canada Thistle And The Sacred Rites Of Hatred
They told me they were bad.
They told me I should hate these plants,
nasty, noxious weeds,
so of course I tried,
and in trying, I took it upon myself to inform the bee,
(who was busy gathering Tansy Ragwort’s delicious, orange pollen),
so that she too could hate this evil plant
and be saved,
making the world a better place.
And I took it upon myself to inform the goldfinch,
who just days ago was gathering Canada Thistle down with his partner
to line their new nest before she laid her eggs,
He was feasting while I offered up several reasons he should hate Canada Thistle,
feasting on those evil, thistle seeds.
…the very same seeds he and dozens of other goldfinches will gather and pre-digest
to feed their young, once they’ve hatched.
The bee very politely asked me to mind my own business,
and kept flying from flower to flower
blissfully gathering nectar,
and the pollen that will feed her larval children once they hatch,
…as bees do.
The Goldfinch gave me one, incredulous, sideways look and just flew away…
It sounded like he was laughing.
I feel bad now …of course,
knowing this bee will not be going to heaven,
and this goldfinch will not be going to heaven, either.
No one gets into heaven, you see, unless they hate the right people and things.
Ask anyone who teaches hate.
You’ll see…
1Disclaimer: Just as there was no actual talking wolf who donned granny’s clothes after eating her, so that he could trick Little Red Riding Hood into trusting him and then eat her, too, those who inform us about noxious weeds and encourage us not to let them take over and choke out native plants are not bad guys. I know this. I trust you to know this and hope you understand that this is not so much a story about noxious weeds as it is an allegorical story about religion, religion when it attempts to recruit new minds into the fold by promising heaven, but only to those who properly hate what the ‘believers’ hate. There’s a lot of that going on these days.
I know someone who actually told my little sister how sad she was, knowing that my little sis wouldn’t be allowed in heaven, saying how much she would miss her… My sister told me about this while I sat next to her bed in her last few months while she was dying.
This is not a diatribe against noxious weed control, which I actually, very much believe in, but it does use observations from the natural world showing how birds and bees make useful use of what is available, and noting the irony of just how confusing it can be to have someone come in and try to convince you that the very thing which is currently sustaining you and those you care for, is evil. There’s not a bee in the world that can digest such a diatribe and there’s not a goldfinch that I am aware of who will let his nestlings starve just because you or I tell him that what he’s feeding them is evil. So if some part of you does not recognize that this is an attempt at storytelling, however ill-told and humble, instead of non-factual, journalistic reporting, I’d encourage you to take one deep breath, tell yourself that its author is crazy as that special corner of hell he’s headed for and then read it as a fairy tale. Nothing more.
Just some guy trying to grok the hateful inability of cult-think arguments to change actual healthy behavior by calling it ‘bad,’ and threatening those who don’t see it that way with punishment and eternal damnation.
I love this post David. I was right there enjoying watching the story unfold paragraph by paragraph of the birds and the bees and the wonder of nature which finds uses for what can be labelled as weeds.
And then: "No one gets into heaven, you see, unless they hate the right people and things." This resonates for me having being told many times through my life that certain people including myself won't be going to heaven. The judging God, the punitive God. That god is the human created god.
Compassion and empathy are the true indicators that someone is already in heaven, in my humble opinion.
I read with interest the comments too. You have a passionate community of nature lovers here. I learnt a few things and feel reassured to know that at the heart of your Garden of His Imagination is someone who attracts people dedicated to protecting the earth, and all of it's inhabitants. It feels a good conversation to have.
I think sometimes we can over explain our reasons for doing something with disclaimers etc so as to not offend. I do it all the time. Sometimes I have found it can be better to just let our words sit there without explanations, knowing that they hold truth for us. And then allow the space for others' interpretations without premeditating it. It's not about agreeing or disagreeing necessarily. And if people really get riled about what you write then they will go elsewhere which is fine. However I can't see that happening here.
Thank you for what you do and I really enjoy your knowledgable, wise and caring community too. xx. ( ps sorry longest reply ever! I have over explained myself! ) 😃
I don't believe in hating any plants, but I do believe we need to consider the views of those who have a long relationship with this continent and cultures dependent on the native plants that invasive weeds are displacing. I take to heart the words of this unnamed Mohawk artist and educator who was quoted in an essay about invasive weeds, “they have destroyed our ability to access our medicinal plants, to practice our ceremonies, to practice our material culture.” The plants, she went on, have as much impact “as any human invasion.” I think we need to honor those voices too.