Florida’s Invaders & A Matter of Faith – Top 3 Takeaways – April 10th, 2023
- The invaders. No doubt The Free State of Florida is one of the most desirable locations in the world. In recent years we’ve experienced record net migration, but it’s not just people seeking sunshine, beaches and freedom that have been relocating to our state in record numbers. It’s about every other form of life as well. From iguanas to pythons and even spiders to sparrows, we’ve had all manner of creatures who aren’t native to our peninsula actively setting up shop and wreaking havoc within it. And from Florida’s python challenges to the FWC’s sanctioned iguana hunts, we’ve tried our hand at attempting to keep the invaders at bay with mixed and what appear to most commonly be losing results. How many foreign invaders are there in Florida? Remarkably there are 99 different documented invasive animal species and 83 invasive plant species. That’s a whole lot of life that doesn’t belong around here that commonly crowds out what does. While Burmese pythons are the biggest invaders and commonly top the conversations about Florida’s problems with outsiders, it’s Florida’s smallest and most numerous invaders which are increasingly gaining attention. In recent years if you’ve seen ants which don’t look like they’re from around here (or at least they’re different than the ones you used to see), it’s almost certainly not just your imagination or perception – it’s reality. A new study published in the scientific journal Current Biology, has shown that non-native ants are now nearly the dominate ants across the state. And in South Florida specifically, they are the dominate ants. 73% of South Florida’s ants aren’t originally from around here, having illegally immigrated with much of the trade that takes place in our ports. And aside from commonly being more aggressive to everything in their paths than many of Florida’s more laid-back native ants, they’re now being linked to the loss of natural habitats in southeast Florida. Florida’s native leaf-litter ants which are being crowded out are seed spreaders. They’ve historically played an active role in spreading the seeds of Florida’s indigenous trees and plants which has been integral for thousands of years in creating South Florida’s unique habitats. With the loss of them comes the loss of that and once you add in dozens of invasive plants and even more invasive specifics the natural order of things begins to go away. Developers have no doubt reshaped South Florida in many highly visible ways, however these days the biggest changes appear to be starting with the smallest and peskiest among us.
- A matter of faith. Saturday night, just about sunset, Ashley and I captured an amazing effect which was pronounced over the water looking towards the east (pictured). From the horizon rising towards heaven, I couldn’t help but to think of how apropos it appeared to be that right about the time historically that Jesus rose from the dead approximately 1990 years ago (Israel is seven hours ahead of us), the brilliant visible effect was on display for all, at a minimum, on Southeast Florida’s coast to see. In total it lasted for about twenty minutes and was as beautiful as it seemingly was profound. But of course, seeing what we saw and interpreting it the way we did is a matter of faith. And with Passover, and Easter once again behind us, there’s another reality that dawned on me Sunday as I read through the news and prepared for today’s show. It’s something I’ve long said and is as relevant today as it's ever been.
- The further away from God our society drifts the worse the outcomes are. It’s really not complicated. Morality, a sense of purpose, an appreciation for life are all positives which come from belief in something greater than oneself. And it’s a belief our society at large continues to distance itself further from by the day. Since 1944 Gallup has studied our collective belief in God. Back then, 96% of Americans were believers. As recently as a decade ago, 92% still were but today...a record low 81% of Americans still believe there’s more to our story. And the speed with which the conversion into non-belief is happening is staggering. In nearly 70 years a decline was there but it totaled 4%. Faith has now dropped by nearly three times as much in just the last decade as commonly believers pass on and younger generations of nonbelievers grow up. Many issues in today’s society are complicated. The premise really isn’t. So yes, the further removed God is from our society, due to our having removed Him, the worse the outcomes are regardless of one’s religious views. We all benefit from the tenants of faith, even atheists. It’s a loss of faith that’s behind so many of the challenges our society faces and the proliferation of negatively in our society. And if we want to see an improvement all we need to do is prioritize it – which in today’s society is much easier said than done – but it's as necessary as it’s ever been for our society. It's incumbent upon all of us to do our part. May God bless you. Pass it on.