Awesome Stories 357

/ February 24, 2018

This week Awesome Stories brings you diversity, flower power, and hummingbird magic.

The Power of Diversity 

Intolerance of ambiguity is the sign of an authoritarian personality. ~ Adorna

Elif Shafak explores the power of diverse thought in her TED Talk. I love how she starts her talk with the question “Can you taste words?” The taste of words can be sweet, sour, bitter, poignant, and more. Writers and poets strive to convey emotion in their words. The point is that language and ideas are very diverse, yet far too many political and social conversations today are focused on binary options like right or left, Republican or Democrat, the US or Russia. What we need are conversations and analysis that are big enough to include a multiplicity of ideas, and may even seem to contradict each other. Just like with race, white or black is a false dichotomy. Let’s open our minds and hearts to embrace the plurality of life, expressed in beautifully diverse ways.

Flower Powerflowers, Awesome Stories

I love this story, both as a flower lover and an environmentalist. Several countries in Europe have started using flowers to replace pesticides for their crop protection. Britain, for example, is testing 14 sites to see how well wildflowers attract beneficial insects that feed on crop-eating pests to replace pesticides. The flowers are planted in strips along borders and in the middle of production crops as needed using newer planting technologies. Switzerland and the US are also studying these techniques as well. So far the flowers are doing well to attract insects, preserve biodiversity, and reduce the need for pesticides. Given the growing evidence of the harm to wildlife, biodiversity, and water quality from pesticides, this is a timely application of a more natural approach to pest management. Yay!

Hummingbird Magic

Many of us love hummingbirds. Fellow blogger Janet Weight Reed is a dedicated hummingbird lover who often paints them, attempting to share the beauty and joy of these tiny magical birds. The more I learn about hummingbirds, the more fascinated I’ve become, plus having them visit my gardens was truly a special gift. Here is a fun article filled with both facts and fascination for hummingbirds. The article calls them bubbles wrapped in feathers to playfully describe their lightweight, hollow bones, and air sacs. They are the fastest and hungriest bird, consuming more food per body weight than any other creature and can fly in any direction as if by magic. 🙂

May your week be full of flowers, diversity, and beauty!

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20 thoughts on “Awesome Stories 357”

  3. As always, your selection make me smile. The fields of flowers makes my heart especially flutter: the decline of bees due to pesticide use is very real and very concerning problem. I’m hoping that the wildflower project really sees great success. One would think…
    As for other other stories, absolutely inspiring. “Hummingbird” is a nickname my friends often give me. hehe. I hope you’re having a great weekend!

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  4. Reblogged this on Anything is Possible! and commented:
    Reblogging these beautiful “Awesome Stories” from Brad at “Writing to Freedom.” Elif Shafak talks about the beauty of diversity so disliked by demagogues. She states, “One should never, ever remain silent for fear of complexity.” The story about replacing pesticides with flowers brings hope, and the hummingbird revelations are utterly amazing.

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  6. Thanks for another dose, Brad! I read one of Shafak’s novels last fall–The Bastard of Istanbul–and enjoyed it. Look forward to listening to the rest of the talk this evening… Synaesthesia is such an interesting phenomenon!

    Peace
    Michael

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