A few weeks ago I wrote about an orchid plant (When I wasn’t looking an orchid bloomed). A few more posts about it followed.
The last orchid lagged. Last night it opened a little.
This morning it bloomed. They are all in bloom. Where once there were none, then five, now there are six.
Patience.
FAQ
Q: Why this series of pictures of Coyote in various settings?
A: Coyote was and is everywhere.
Q: Why this picture of Coyote at the signing of the U.S. Constitution, Independence Hall, Philadelphia, September 17, 1787?
A: Coyote was there, and the U.S. Constitution is immeasurably important these days in America.
Note that Coyote has a special relationship with Philadelphia, having attended the University of Pennsylvania, America’s first university, before this signing. Penn has a history that dates back to 1740. It was founded by Benjamin Franklin. If you look carefully, you will see Franklin looking over at Coyote. Franklin may be silently repeating the motto of his university: Leges sine moribus vanae. Laws without morals are useless.
Q: Should I read and study the U.S. Constitution?
A: Every American should read and study the U.S. Constitution. Don’t just accept easy overviews and subjective interpretations. This is especially important when the Constitution is being ignored or breached. Coyote recalls the fierce arguments that erupted at the Constitutional Convention before the signing. The final document was and is imperfect, and has been subject to amendment, but it remains an evolving example government by the people in the face of government by a person.
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Jia Ren • Household
The image of the gua is Wind above, Fire below. The wind springs forth from the fire. This gua symbolizes that the wind of harmony is fed by the flames of love….
The ancient sages always applied the principle of managing a household to governing a country. In their view, a country was simply a big household. With the spirit of sincerity and mutual love, one is able to create a harmonious situation anywhere, in any circumstance.
Master Alfred Huang, The Complete I Ching
A Lego orchid and a blooming organic orchid sit a few feet apart in my office.
I wondered what they would say to each other—or are saying to each other. Leading to the question:
What do you think a Lego orchid would say to an organic orchid?
I am most interested in what readers think. For the AI-curious, I asked the same thing of Claude.
Claude: I think a Lego orchid might say something like:
“Hello there, cousin! I admire your delicate petals and natural grace. While you need water, soil, and sunlight, I’m perfectly content sitting on this shelf for years without maintenance. You may change with the seasons, but I’ll stay in perpetual bloom! Though I must admit, I’m a bit jealous of how you can grow and change on your own. My blocks may never wilt, but they also won’t ever surprise anyone with a new bud or subtle shift in color. Perhaps we each have our own kind of beauty—yours ephemeral and alive, mine crafted and enduring.”
Claude Sonnet 3.7 (Anthropic)
What do you think?
Concerned Americans are at different places on the emergency of the current governmental and constitutional crisis.
A number of Americans in public life, in the media and elsewhere, are either playing along, hoping for the best, or maintaining neutrality, afraid that anything that looks critical will subject them to punishment.
A number of Americans privately believe we are, as historian Timothy Snyder has called this historic process, on “the road to unfreedom.”
All those concerned have a growing and justified sense that they don’t know what to do about it.
Aside from “what to do about it”, I offer a concept that is often used as crisis situations develop. It is the so-called doomsday clock. In this case, how far along are we to the full subversion of the American republic?
If asked to place this moment on a clock, I would never go so far as to say it is a minute before midnight or anything that extreme. If pushed, I might say we are at 6 o’clock, which, depending on how you look at it, still offers plenty of opportunity for a different outcome. But it also recognizes that we are well along on the road to unfreedom.
How we get back on the road to freedom is the big and still unresolved dilemma. The clock is ticking.
Is history made of individual people, ideas, or movements?
Yes it is.
Right now, many Americans are waiting for any leader to resist and reverse what is the most dangerous governmental trajectory in 250 years.
So far, only two months into the current regime, none has come forward. There are hints of people, ideas or movements that might take hold. But by the time these hints turn into something substantial, so much damage will have been done, so many will have submitted to the threats, that resistance and reversal may have to give way to the hope for eventually rebuilding the republic.
Americans are waiting for a leader. Some might think that this leader would come from the Democratic Party, but think again. The leader and movement that has taken over the government is not an outgrowth of the Republican Party. He and it have just used the Republican Party as a vehicle. Both parties practice pragmatic politics, which avoids the kind of boldness to lead a wholesale gutting of government (the current regime) or who could stand ground against that revolution.
Americans are waiting for a leader. One who would stand up, get knocked down, be punished, be criticized, fight back, and most of all strategize and inspire. It doesn’t matter if they are Republican, Democratic, or of any other affiliation or identity. What this moment needs is wisdom, courage and vision, which, you should not be surprised, is perpetually in too short supply.
So if you know of that leader—wise, brave, visionary, strategic and inspiring—get them to the front line fast. Time is not on our side.
It is not surprising that the World Happiness Report 2025 has received less media attention in America than in years past. So many big, possibly apocalyptic stories in America and the world. And the same countries at the top of the list, year after year. It gets boring, Scandinavia.
American media may be paying less attention for another reason. The United States dropped to its lowest rank ever—#24. (Country Rankings) Tell Americans something they don’t know.
As for the company we keep, #23 is United Kingdom and #25 is Belize.
World’s 10 happiest countries in 2025
1. Finland
2. Denmark
3. Iceland
4. Sweden
5. Netherlands
6. Costa Rica
7. Norway
8. Israel
9. Luxembourg
10. Mexico
World’s 10 least happy countries in 2025
Bob Schwartz 