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Rudbeckia fulgida “Goldsturm”

We like to think that most things in this world can be boiled down, simplified, and reduced. It’s how we make sense of the world around us. When we’re young we learn to sort things as we play, whether it be toys like wooden blocks or things in nature like rocks or leaves. Then as we get older, if we’re fortunate enough to have wise parents and/or teachers (like Douglas Marolla) to guide us, we grasp concepts wider and heavier than our hands can hold and give them plenty of space to expand as thoughts and ideas in our minds. Suddenly, or maybe gradually depending on the person, the world and its ideas seem too big to hold onto in our minds, and it’s easier to retreat from it. We give in to the temptation to let other people think for us and make our decisions for us. They do the dirty work of manipulating isolating microbes’ genetic structure or making policy decisions or changing the laws to suit themselves or maybe just pointing out to us those “others” doing the dirty work. Toby Rogers who writes uTobian on Substack does a fantastic job of supposing that the hell on earth we’ve been enduring for at least the last three years or so is the handiwork of a company called McKinsey and others like it. Why can’t we see the dirt ourselves? Why can’t we find a way to clean it up, organize things as we did when we were young, and make the world better for everyone? It’s too hard! we tell ourselves. We don’t want to know the truth because the truth is too painful. The people in charge hate us so much that they don’t care if we are maimed or killed by taking what they falsely tell us is good for us? They’re only interested in enriching themselves and their loved ones and impoverishing the rest of us? Yes, my friend, it’s an old story. It’s a three-letter word, and ironically can be seen in the middle of McKinsey if you look closely. If you want to know just how destructive it can be and why it’s so ubiquitous and what it has to do with why our world is so chaotic, then I suggest you look no further than the Bible. But it’s too hard to understand! Okay, then find a good teacher like I did to help you sort it out, break it down, and cut it up into bite-sized pieces: