I adore these things! The first time I saw a bunch of Latvians wearing flower crowns and singing, I was in love. I'm sure those were probably the more traditional type and this is something different, but it's the same general concept. There's something viscerally exciting about it to me. If I stop and think why, I guess the first thing I think of is that it looks and feels so real and authentic to life. So much of what we do to change our appearance is made by us, sold to ourselves... part of the ever-churning capitalist machine. Does that mean I hate make-up and dresses and jewelry and all that? Well no, not really, those things can be nice in moderation too. I just really, really love seeing humans decorate themselves with the nature around them. I think it's beautiful.

I think I am on the same page as you are about the end times. At the very least we are reading the same book. Everywhere you look now there is someone screaming about how it is the end, how it is too late, how the fires and the melting won't stop and will only get worse and how we'll all be killing each other for food soon... and of course even worse than them are those with the optimistic view, who insist that none of this is happening, everything will be fine...

Everyone and everything dies. For all the arrogance that humans have to destroy everything they touch, still others have arrogance that anyone or anything will grieve alongside them. There are we, the ones who behold the beauty which will predecease us, and we have killed it and ourselves, and that is it. The Universe, with or without life on Earth, with or without conscious observation, will ostensibly continue on its chaotic path toward nothingness. Or maybe that's our arrogance too, believing we've cracked the parameters of the Universe, while It has some different plans for itself once we're long-gone.

Either way, nothing really matters. I wouldn't call this a pessimistic perspective; I think anyone who would isn't paying much attention. Embracing the inherent inconsequentiality of all things means that while everyone else is panicking in the face of the inevitable end, I get to live now and observe whatever beauty I can, while I can, and there's a whole lot of it in this post. Thank you for sharing!