Mein Gott, it is Theme Thursday already! Is it just me, or are Thursdays rolling around far more quickly ever since I signed up to this thing?
As with every week, I have before me a challenge to locate an image that I have taken and pen some words around a theme completely independent of my choosing. As always, I’m struggling.
This week? EARTH.
So I have a photo that I like to think is pretty representative of the Earth. You have your trees there. Some clouds. The ocean. Some sand and rocks. You’ve got seagulls and molluscs. Grass there in the background too.
That’s the kind of Earth that I like.
But I got to thinking, which always spells trouble.
If I am from this planet called Earth, and I’m happy enough here, am I able to identify as an Earthling?
Let’s face it, I struggle enough with identity most of the time. I think of myself as being from Burnie, and I have no shame in telling people that. I also identify (proudly) as a North West Coaster. Of course, I’m a Tasmanian before I am an Australian. Yet if I’m introduced to a Belizean I’ll tell them I’m Australian. Not only that, I’m an Australian of Scot/Italian/Irish stock, that is, I’m a European-Australian.
Have I got space in my life to be an Earthling as well?
Does being an Earthling afford me a set of assumed natural rights? Being a human kind of does.
Chickens are Earthlings, and I eat them.
Ants, flowers, trees, fleas, algal blooms and viruses are Earthlings too.
But what about rocks?
Mountains?
Rivers?
Hmmm...
Maybe we’re ALL Earthlings now.
[A nod to the good people over at Obscene Deserts, who spark some of my long mulled thinking along this track with a post on 'Europe'.]
Comments
As for being an Earthling, I guess I'll have to wait until I meet someone not-from-Earth (and the inevitable "so....where ya from?") to see how I address that one...
Nice pretty picture, by the way.
I would like to become an earthling though as I am quite tired of all these identities in this world.
People do put too much stock into identity. Imagine killing or dying over identity. Stupid!
On our travells people first ask: "Where are you from?" And I have to answer: "From Germany". But I feel more that I'm an EUROPEAN. And yes we are all Earthlings.
And when people have my answer, they look different on me. They say: "Oh Germany!" And some say: "Americans are not good. We like Germany." It's really strange, hard and mad.
Thank you for sharing.
God bless.
If we were gods up on Mount Olympus we'd probably eat rocks and our children too.
Great post. :)
Well, by your Theory of Earthlings, TOE, clams must be earthlings too! And a big bucket of steamers sound wonderful right about now.
In other words, the world is our oyster, in the true sense of the word today.
When traveling I'm am an American, a New Englander, a Connectikite, so now I should add an Earthling.
"Americans are not good. We like Germany.” It’s a long way from ’45!