Given recent events, I think this post is rather timely. Initially I wanted to simply share a handful of pictures with no added commentary, but I think there is some value in emphasizing how important, and possibly life saving, it is to cultivate a life beyond the digital screen. Easier said than done, I know. But it feels more urgent than ever.
Killed by a Meme
Both the self-avowed ‘right’ and ‘left’ are enslaved by their own dogma and constrained by their own rigid ideologies. Both sides think they are right. Both sides feel hurt. And both sides, in reaction to Charlie Kirk’s murder, have been adamant that Kirk’s suspected killer, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, is on the other “team.” Robinson has simultaneously been labeled far-right, pro-antifa, a Trump supporter, leftist, conservative, progressive, and everything in between. It just depends on who you ask.
The reason for these multiple, contradictory associations is because, based on what is known so far, Robinson can’t easily be placed in a neat little box where his beliefs are conveniently packaged and presented in a clear-cut way. The outlandish theories and fanfic posited by the divisive, rage baiting mediasphere and amateur commentariat class is as expected — it seems the more absurd theory, the more confident its claimants are. The burden of proof falls on those who make more absurd claims, but when you ask for proof you are suddenly deemed part of the unenlightened normie class.
What we can reasonably glean is that Robinson is the product of an increasingly hyper-nihilistic digitally-tethered class of people who see absolutely no purpose to anything and assign no value to anything, including human life. And these feelings are only reinforced by niche online communities that espouse extremist positions under the banner of edgelord humour.
The digital landscape has pulled us further into an environment steeped in post-irony, where absurdist “for the lulz” humour has completely spilled over into real life, and it is especially pervasive among younger generations who have grown up not knowing anything else.
Robinson’s heavy usage of internet phrases and foray into niche online communities is evident in the inscriptions engraved on his bullet casings. One casing read, “Notices Buldge OwO what’s this?” — it’s a silly, insignificant internet joke referencing furry roleplay. This doesn’t indicate Robinson himself was a furry, but it does reveal how deep he was into internet lore. Another engraving read, “If you read This, you are GAY Lmao.” — another standard edgelord phrase used in niche online communities that bears no real meaning. Conservative media ran with the pro-antifa theory based on the other inscriptions, including “O Bella ciao, Bella ciao, Bella ciao Ciao ciao!” — which has in recent years gained in popularity in certain online spaces. A remix of the song can also be found on a Spotify playlist called “Groyper1 Wars (America First)”. The final engraving read, ““hey fascist! CATCH! ⬆️, ➡️, ⬇️⬇️⬇️” — which Conservative media interpreted to be another anti-fascist message, but the arrow symbols are a reference to a satirically fascist third-person shooter game called Helldivers 2. The arrow combination apparently triggers the most powerful bomb attack in the game. There is no indication by these messages alone that Robinson was far-left.
Nonetheless, this is the result. Even a political assassination is layered with an insincerity that is emblematic of the times we are living in.
These messages don’t reveal Robinson’s political leanings, but they do show how terminally online he was. This act was the apotheosis of a terminally online individual whose religion was nihilism and whose God is the internet.
Robinson is full of contradictions in part because he seemingly possesses no actual rigid belief system. Nothing means anything. Everything means nothing. Meanwhile the rest of the world is trying to squeeze meaning out of something that fits their own narrow agenda. But niche internet communities are often agenda-less precisely because that is their purpose. Everything is “for the lulz”2
Robinson’s messaging is confusing, silly, and very in keeping with edgelord culture, but his actions are very much consequential — and that is the paradox of online culture. Hyper-nihilist edgelords throw absurdist humour over consequential actions. Robinson is the ultimate troll who broke one of the cardinal rules of the internet: Do Not Go IRL.
And that is what disturbs me the most. It’s not that Robinson may have been politically motivated, but that there’s an element of doing it “for the lulz.”
Certainly he’s not the first. In 2019, the perpetrator responsible for the Christchurch mosque attacks told his viewers ‘Subscribe to PewDiePie’ before carrying out the attacks and livestreamed the first shooting on Facebook. He was also terminally online, often frequenting message boards like 4chan and 8chan3. Similarly, in 2022, 18-year-old Payton S. Gendron planned a shooting on 4chan and Discord and later livestreamed the attack via Twitch at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York, killing 10 people. He was a ‘shitposter’ on 4chan and revealed the following:
“I would like to [be able to] say I had quite a normal childhood but that is not the case. . . It's not that I actually dislike other people, it's just that they make me feel so uncomfortable I've probably spent actual years of my life just being online. And to be honest I regret it. I didn't go to friends’ houses often or go to any parties or whatever. Every day after school I would just go home and play games and watch YouTube, mostly by myself. . . If I could go back maybe I'd tell myself to get the fuck off 4chan ... and get an actual life.”
Additional examples abound.
These “for the lulz” attacks are happening in increasing frequency and neither the authorities nor the media understand the scope of what is taking place here. They still see issues through the ever-limiting left vs. right lens. It would be a huge mistake to ignore the scope of how internet culture shapes us, especially young minds.
There are a couple things that need to happen — and I realize these may be contradictory.
Return to Nature
Having open and honest conversations is indeed important, but they must be accompanied by the following:
There must be more effort to increase internet literacy and understanding of internet culture. There needs to be more awareness of what platforms people, especially younger people, are using, and circumvent terminally online behaviour in a way that is healthy and sustainable. I don’t believe we should ban devices entirely — that’s just not feasible to me — but we should at least aim to better understand how our loved ones are spending their time online. Once we understand the problem, we can begin to find a solution.
It is imperative that we spend more time offline and in the real world. This planet is filled with so much wonder and natural delights, but it can be easy for us to fall into our own digital prisons and preoccupy ourselves with the minutiae that we forget the magic all around us. One of the greatest blessings is the fact that we get to live among and co-exist with the Natural world that demands nothing of us. It is up to all of us — parents, educators, mentors, group leaders, artists — to try and give the younger generation a fighting chance of stability, groundedness, and well-roundedness. It is also up to the powers-that-be to better prepare the youth for a prosperous future, though I realize how woefully naïve it is to expect such a thing. But part of this entails taking us outside of ourselves and into the external world in which we inhabit.
From wherever you are, life is everywhere and ready to bloom and you will find it wherever you nurture it. It’s important take the time to find moments of temporary reprieve from the post-nihilist digital hellscape that we all live — and no, Substack is not much better.
You don’t need to live in an off-grid cabin in the woods or vacation in the tropics or live on a multi-million dollar oceanfront property to experience the many wonders of the world. There is magic out there, everywhere.
With all that said, here are some moments of beauty I’ve experienced from this summer.
Summer of Reverence
Note: I’m terrible at taking pictures and I took all of these pictures with an older phone, so the quality will not be the best.
Eastern Painted Turtles
Eastern painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) have colourful markings on them, including stripes across their body.
Here they are resting on a log in a peaceful pond in town. It was drizzling this day. I took this picture before the dry season started and I have not been back to the pond since as I feared what I would find (a dried up pond littered with dead critters, including these turtles). I’m hoping next summer fares better for them.
Downy Woodpecker
I found this injured downy woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) in the middle of the road among a stream of cars whizzing by, unaware or uncaring.
It was a very hot day and one of its feet was stuck on the tarmac and it had superficial scratches on its beak, as you can see. I contacted the local wildlife rescue and rehabilitation organization and when they got to my location, the bird flew away with ease and settled on a tree branch (I was gently cradling it in the shade). We weren’t able to assess his injuries closely but he did not struggle to fly or have trouble pecking. I went back to this spot later and did not see him, so I’m hoping he was able to make it. Regardless, I try to take comfort in the fact that at least he did not succumb to his death on the tarmac in the blazing heat.
I should add that when I spoke with the wildlife rescue group, they mentioned that they’ve received a record number of calls of injured wildlife, and this isn’t necessarily because people are more careless or there is more wildlife in trouble, but that there are more people who do care. I’m trying to see the positive in this that there could possibly be more awareness and more people trying to actively save injured wildlife.
Downy woodpeckers (Dryobates pubescens) are common in North America and are not a threatened species. They’re beautiful little birds.
Canadian Tiger Swallowtail
This lovely Canadian Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio canadensis) was perched on some flowers on the trail in Kejimkujik National Park Seaside on a gorgeous, sunny day.
Pickerel Frog
I spotted these little guys basking in the sun around multiple trails in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.
Pickerel frogs (Lithobates palustris) are one of several frog species that reside in the province. They are fairly common and are always a delight to spot — but be careful because they are sometimes hard to see! Their calls are often described more as a low nasal snores, not the typical croaks you may hear coming from a frog.
Green Frogs
On the left, I spotted this beautiful green frog (Lithobates clamitans) tucked away on a trail at Kejimkujik National Park Seaside. On the right, this frog (it appears to be a green frog, but I am not certain) was taking up residence in a waterway off of a trail in town. Unfortunately the area has completely dried up due to the drought, so I suspect the many frogs living here have unfortunately succumbed to their difficult living conditions. I was only able to enjoy their ‘plunk’ calls for a short time. For the past couple months only the sounds of birds could be heard.
Like pickerel frogs, green frogs are also commonly found across the province and country.
White-Tailed Deer
I can never get enough of spotting white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). They seem to be fairly ubiquitous still, but I fear due to habitat destruction, poisoned forests, and human activity that they face an uncertain future. I hope I’m wrong and we will be able to enjoy these majestic creatures for many years to come.
From my observations, female deer commonly live and travel together in larger units, with an older, matriarchal deer leading the pack, while bucks are more solitary and elusive.
Barred Owl
This picture of a barred owl (Strix varia) I spotted recently does not do this creature justice. Like many of the other critters highlighted here, the barred owl is the most common owl in the province and across North America.
I caught this guy off guard on a local trail. Because we still have the woods ban where I am, this guy was getting used to not seeing humans for a while and was startled by my presence. He watched me intently as I walked by.
Rescued Farm Animals
Some bonus pictures of some rescued farm animals I have the pleasure of seeing on the regular.
This beautiful pig’s name is Cece. She has grown so much since I met her as a wee piglet.
She loves people, belly rubs, and basking in the sun. She really is the most lovable pig. She, and some of the rescue farm animals shown below, is living out the rest of her days at a wonderful animal sanctuary based out of Nova Scotia.
For context, here was Cece as a piglet:
(I know this was not taken this summer, but I wanted to share the difference in her growth).
To the left is Merlin, a handsome donkey who loves rubs, but only on his own terms. Sometimes he may even follow you around for no other reason than to get your attention, and then once you give him attention he sheepishly moves away. More than rubs, he loves the other two horses on the sanctuary and has developed a beautiful bond with them. Wherever they are, he is always close by.
To the right are two recently rescued senior goats — they are adapting well to the rest of the farm family, and are equally as sweet as the rest of the family. Goats are my favourite farm animals. I’ve never met a goat that wasn’t gentle and curious; they all seem to love attention, chin scratches, and these goats in particular love “fresh” hay (any time you’re holding a pile of hay, they assume it’s somehow the extra good stuff — better than the hay they already have).
These beautiful pigs are snoozing in their favourite spot. As mentioned, we had a very dry summer but these pigs love taking refuge in this spot — lounging, taking mud baths, and enjoying the sun are their go-to activities. There is nothing more soul enriching than watching a pig snoozing away.
Some additional photos from a couple nature walks. This spot is amazing to take a dip in. Here you will find seals (I saw numerous this day!), troves of sea birds, crabs, and many other critters. It is heaven on earth.
Kejimkujik National Park Seaside
A quiet evening, oceanside. Nothing beats this. This is freedom.
The term ‘groypers’ refers to followers of far-right commentator Nick Fuentes. Since 2019, groypers have carried out what they call a ‘Groyper War’ — which comprises of attending Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA events and disrupting them in a number of ways. Their alleged goal was to expose Kirk as a faux conservative. In 2024, a follow-up ‘Groyper War 2’ was carried out. I recommend reading more about this as the lore runs deep and I suspect it has a greater influence on these young men than what some may believe.
“For the lulz” refers to the act of doing something absurd, ridiculous, or even harmful at someone else’s expense and having a laugh about it. In gaming culture, it could be as innocuous as purposely throwing the game. This ethos has since extended to real-life with dire consequences. Urban Dictionary describes it as, “When you do whatever you want, when you want, because you can. And you do it with pleasure.”
4chan and 8chan refer to anonymous imageboard websites that are often frequented by ‘terminally online’ users, sometimes colloquially known as ‘neckbeards,’ although 8chan is more decentralized and allows more abhorrent behaviour because of the ability for users to moderate their own personal boards with no restrictions.
Love the nature photos! And baby Cece. Awwww!
Excellent post.
As I am apt to say: life is never boring. And my list of wildlife encounters is long and greatly treasured by me from Great White Sharks around Cape Town to Vipers in the mountains of South Korea.
And no other living creature besides humans has tried to physically harm me. Regardless, I still love people.
Lastly, boo to the forest ban.