“When you have a grim fact you put a flower against it and for some reason you don’t feel so bad anymore.” – Andrei Codrescu
To the Victorians the white lily signified youthful innocence. 110 million Americans breath such high levels of air pollution that the federal government considers it to be harmful to their health. Asters sprang up where the goddess Virgo spilled stardust over the earth. According to the World Resources Institute, 100 species go extinct each day due to tropical deforestation. To the Chinese, the narcissus is a sacred symbol of purity and promise. Around 1 billion birds and mammals die each year by the ingestion of plastic. The dogwood stands for endurance. Every minute of the day, Americans dump 16 tons of sewage into their waterways. Freesia is a sign that love can be careful and calm. The top 3 percent of American families hold more than twice the wealth of the poorest 90 percent. The sun-loving heliotrope suggests devotion. Wealth inequality is now about 10 times as high as income inequality in the United States. Gladioli stand for natural grace. In 2020, the United States spent $750 billion on military spending, more than the next nine top-spending countries combined. The jasmine is an emblem of good luck. The U.S. has averaged more than one mass shooting a day in 2021, continuing an upward trend since researchers began thoroughly tracking the subject following the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary. Lilacs express the beautiful sadness of love. The U.S. is currently on pace for about as many Americans to die from gun violence as last year, with 5,415 killed so far. The white rose suggests purity and silence. A new analysis of the toll of the Covid-19 pandemic suggests 6.9 million people worldwide have died from the disease, more than twice as many people as has been officially reported.1
