We biked another 75 miles today through west Texas on Highway 90 along the Texas Mexico border. Aside from the three Fed Ex trucks that passed us the only other sign of human activity were the border patrol trucks who drove up and down the highway. They have been very nice but at one point warned us that we were in an area known to have heavy smuggling activity and that we should be careful because we could be mistakenly shot–a risk we had not actually factored in to our numerous and daily risk assessments. The experience called to mind one of my favorite observations by Carl Sagan:
“National boundaries are not evident when we view the Earth from space. Ethnic, religious or national chauvinisms are a little difficult to maintain when we see our planet a as a fragile blue crescent fading to become an inconspicuous point of light against the bastion and citadel of the stars”.
For me, this is particularly relevant today as we are reminded by coronavirus, a virus that does not discriminate, that we are all human beings and in this together.
With love and gratitude, Isabella @ Marfa, Texas