“If your opponent draws a circle to exclude you, you draw a larger circle to include him or her and unite the two of you against a higher and greater threat.”

The above is a paraphrasing of something an American civil rights activist named Pauli Murray said decades ago:

“I intend to destroy segregation by positive and embracing methods. When my brothers try to draw a circle to exclude me, I shall draw a larger circle to include them. Where they speak out for the privileges of a puny group, I shall shout for the rights of all mankind.”

For an intactivist, broadening the efforts means that when your opponent wants to protect only one sex (genetically and phenotypically normal girls) from non-therapeutic genital cutting, you expand the circle to include males, incompetent adults, and the wide continuum of intersex children.

It means that you expand the terms you use, from circumcision (which is narrower), to non-therapeutic genital cutting (which is broader).

You could go further and view non-therapeutic genital cutting as only one example of a wide variety of gruesome body modifications, which have been practiced throughout human history.

You take the broader perspective and see cutting of infants as a vestige of an ignorant, bloody, tribal past. Whereas the future is one of enlightenment, elevation of the individual, and wholeness.

It means that when we advocate against circumcision of male infants, it’s not just about the foreskin of men. We are waging a wider struggle for the right to bodily autonomy and bodily integrity.

I am so grateful for the many online communities that are advocating for an end to non-therapeutic genital cutting of minors. I hope they’ll continue drawing many circles to include others and defend the rights of children.

I have found many small joys in the past week:

Clean air

The dangerously unhealthy wildfire smoke has cleared from Portland’s air, so I exercised in the park.

Graduation picnic

I celebrated a friend’s graduation at Mount Tabor, an extinct volcano within city limits. She has been a good friend, has worked hard, and will be an excellent teacher.

Original Thrawn trilogy interpretation

As a kid I devoured the novels set in the expanded Star Wars universe. The original Thrawn trilogy by Timothy Zahn were the best-written and most epic and imaginative. This YouTuber has brought those original stories to life. I have to say, I enjoy these fan-made shorts more than the most recent movies. I love seeing Thrawn, the Ysalimiri, the Nogrhi and Mara Jade vividly on screen. To me, these are the true stories of the years following the Battle of Endor.

Now, someone with creative ability and drive and an obvious love of the series has made those key scenes (and Thrawn’s glowing eyes) viewable.

Wisdom from the Bhagavad Gita

In The Bhagavad Gita: A Walkthrough for Westerners, author Jack Hawley makes this dense, ancient epic more accessible.

I lifted two important lessons from the audiobook: one, atman, the notion of the true inner self. And two, the idea of making the small big, and the few many.

When I walk a trail and observe some natural phenomenon, I feel that I approach the essence and the pervading principle of life, even if I can’t fully articulate it. And when I look at a bird or bug or leaf, I see the big in the small.

Uncut Gems

I saw this while sheltering indoors from the wildfire smoke. It is peculiar and fantastic. 

During key scenes the music dealt out a feeling of warped, escalating tension. I linked it subconsciously to Akira, another movie that made a profound impression on me. Sure enough, the composer (Oneohtrix Point Never) acknowledged being inspired by Kaneda’s theme.

Four Pillar Freedom (a personal finance blog)

This guy is like a smarter, harder-working, more talented, more consistent, more creative, more successful version of me. I read all his new content and browse the archives. Here is a good example of simple, career-changing advice (if you can only apply it).

Duolingo stories

These little stories are a nice break from the lessons. They help me practice my French intonation and they are fun.

My little sister’s healthy fetus

It is developing as expected and should add to the many March birthdays in my family.

She and her wife got sperm from a good friend of theirs and had a successful pregnancy on the first try. BOOM, done.

My Specialized Sirrus bike

I have a rack and panniers for a “utility biking” kit. I feel confident taking it everywhere, and I have. It allows me to spend many hours outside, enjoying the last sunny days of summer and fall.

Bushtits

I positively identified these little guys for the first time. They are tiny and inconspicuous, but when you do notice a flock of them, they are a lot of fun to watch. They will swarm into a bush or tree and then fly to the next one single file, one at a time.

Le saucier (a video short)

“The mind cannot miss what it never knew, but the heart can ache for what it never felt.”

The New York Times’ free coronavirus coverage

You can read all covid-19 coverage without a paid subscription as long as you make an account. This is how I have stayed informed without going into covid overload.

Long walks through Forest Park

This is good prep for hikes in more remote destinations. I pack light and even leave my cell phone behind. The whole trip is about 20 miles. It takes me through Saint John’s, across the bridge, through the Ridge Trail, down Leif Erikson Trail, down NW Thurman Avenue, across the Broadway Avenue bridge, and then up N Vancouver or N Williams Avenue home.

When you walk for that long, you inevitably solve certain problems and make certain decisions that need to be made.

I tend to see Steller’s jays, northern flickers, barred owls, and hairy woodpeckers.

I finally looked up those little orange mushrooms that sprout on moss

Mycena acicula, Orange Bonnet mushroom identification. I saw them while letting my rats play in the grass (they won’t go very far from me though).

Biking and watching nature on the Columbia Slough

In one ride the following occurred:

• I watched what I thought was a single sandpiper foraging on the mud flat. When moderate rain suddenly started, 6 of them appeared and flew away.
• A western fox squirrel boldly climbed up my pant leg and checked out both of my hands and my mouth searching for food. I think the homeless people have taught it to seek handouts.
• I saw a rainbow emerge through gentle rain. I saw bald eagles and brilliant-white egrets foraging and shaking off the water as the sunlight returned.
• I saw an electrical assembly under the Interstate Ave bridge catch fire and emit billows of black smoke. Firefighters converged and assessed it for many minutes until I got tired of waiting for an extinguishing action and left.

I have made financial progress

In my most recent assessment I marked three positive things:

I remain debt-free (and I will continue to refuse to take on debt).

Most of my net worth is in income-generating assets (total stock market index funds) instead of cash or a house or low-yielding bonds.

I have a cushion that will allow me to make my next decisive action toward a life of my choosing (much like my move halfway across the country two years ago).

Friends and family and colleagues have been good to me

Finally, a quote from the play Julius Caesar: “Countrymen, my heart doth joy that yet in all my life I never found a man but was true to me.”

I spent the last day of summer at a lovely swim spot on the Washougal River.

Naked Falls is a series of pools and small waterfalls on a clear, cool stretch of water. There are secluded gravelly areas downstream for those who are willing to scramble over logs and rocks for a bit.

We found a good spot away from the most crowded area. By climbing a bit, you can be away from people. But even at its most crowded, and on Labor Day, I estimated there were fewer than 80 people in this large rocky area.

I had a great time swimming, jumping into the various pools, and enjoying snacks and drinks. It was my friend’s birthday and he served as the videographer, which is a valued role in any group. I climbed onto a rock and posed as a merman. 

We watched teenagers jump into the water from crazy-looking heights. We got Mexican food in Washougal and discussed cancel culture, depraved reaches of the internet, and appropriateness in comedy. 

As we left, the wildfire smoke looked more and more menacing. This was just a hint of what was to come, as fires grew all around the state during the workweek. We felt safe at the time, but that was the last day for at least a week when you could safely be out in forested regions. In fact, right now I am indoors with all windows closed, waiting out the worst air quality in the world at the moment.

This was a good way to end the summer. And I’ll visit many of these places again in the fall to enjoy seeing how they’ve changed.

I drove with a friend to this well-loved spot. We headed out well before noon on a Friday and so we were able to beat the crowds. To enjoy a place like this it’s essential that you arrive before everyone else who has the same idea.

The trail is short and on private land. You drive as far as you dare on the deeply pocked gravel road before finding the unmarked trailhead and climbing down.

The waterfall is in the middle of an “amphitheater of columnar basalt.” The lichens and mosses are beautiful and we were there at just the right time of day to see the whole area filled with sunlight despite the lower and lower angle of the September sun.

The water was very cold but I was determined to swim out to where the falls meet the water. As I approached, the cold water, the loud beating of the water’s impact, the spray, and the current all made me want to turn away. I am not as strong a swimmer as I would like. I went as close as I dared and then swam back. My friend also went in the water and we managed to avoid drowning.

I caught a large garter snake and it peed on me a lot. We saw a baby one too.

I want to check out every nook and cranny like this in the Pacific Northwest. At the same time, I acknowledge the impacts that the press and fray of people have on these places. For my part I never leave trash. I poop at home instead of in the woods. I don’t burn things. I camp and hike on hard surfaces. I do all the recommended things to minimize my impact.

But there is inherent impact and ugliness in the crush of human visitors and their cars, trucks and SUVs. Interestingly, many of these popular spots are completely devoid of people during weekdays or during the off season. In those times the outdoors near the metro area seem more vast. The more you seek out remote spots, the more impact you have, in a way. It’s difficult. It’s definitely possible to “love a place to death.”