🌞 TREE 812: Invincible summer

You’ve seen this quote by Albert Camus.

‘In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.’

Have you also seen his next two sentences?

‘And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better, pushing right back.’

At first this looks like Camus vs the universe. It’s not. The pushing world isn’t Earth. It isn’t life. It is this world’s human systems, that are regularly and inevitably corrupted by those who crave power above all.

The something that pushes back against the corrupt and oppressive systems of this world, the invincible summer, is in all of life. When trees lose their leaves in autumn, next spring’s buds are already there, waiting to swell and open. Mother bears give birth and nourish their tiny babies as they hibernate through winter.

C.S. Lewis explained oppressive power to children by imagining a world where it was always winter and never Christmas. In his story, Aslan restores spring and Narnia is set to right.

Here in the real world, Earth will keep orbiting the sun for a few billion years still. As long as that happens, summer is invincible. There’s no need to wait for a magic lion. No matter how dark the winter gets, summer is already here in the trees, in the animals, in you. You can find it if you look for it.

Powerful people may think of themselves as masters of the universe. In reality, they are standing on thin ice over the powerful flow of life. And whenever there is ice, it means summer is coming.

I have two songs for you today. If you need happy defiant invincible summer, this is for you:

Of if you need an angry rant invincible summer, try this one:

That Camus quote gets a little corner on my upcoming super limited edition print.

Let’s do this winter week
Jeff