Nature

by Eleanor Rodgerson, MD

The orange dragonflies and big, black bumble bees are back, sipping nectar and gathering pollen from the prolific orange daylilies around the goldfish pool.  It’s June.  They last a few short weeks and
disappear until the next year.

Isn’t nature wonderful?

Add the humans.  I’m thinking of the females.   They come and go also.  And come again.  History points to Eve who started it all and goes on to  bright female stars that pop up every now and then, like a governor of Petra in what is now Jordan and a warrior on the island that is now Britain.  We recall the psalmist who asks who we might be that God is mindful of us?  And that psalmist had no telescope, either, to illuminate the millions of galaxies now being found in the universe.

Larger numbers of clever females took the places of the early bright ones.  They knew they were equal to the males in many respects, but for peace and protection and, yes, comfort, they hid their talents for awhile.  An aggressive few persisted and were eventually recognized for what they were; intelligent enough, for example, with knowledge, to vote.

It’s kind of important to think of the coming and going, the rising and falling, of the female sex.  It has had its difficulties through the centuries, but, in numbers it is passing the males.  At birth there are
about 105 males for every 100 females, but toward the end of life there are about 50 males to every 100 females.  In the ’30’s, a medical school class of 50 enrolled 5 women; in 2003, half the class is female.

A spectacular universe is around us and is here to explore.  It is mysterious.  Its catastrophes come and its rebirths also.  Will  we ever be sure of its origin and why the orange dragonflies appear with the orange daylilies?   And why women are overtaking men?

Isn’t nature wonderful?