The Hope Cactus and Dragonfly Wars

I took this picture at the Huntington Gardens in Pasadena, California, USA. It was labeled "Mammillari mystax Esperanza, so I'm calling it the "hope cactus." In its contrasts, you can truly see the nature of hope: Beautiful, geometric spines dotted by improbable, delicate flowers. What a contrast it is, just like the theme of this blog, namely that it "relates to the conflicts inside a person, between fear and beauty, ignorance and acceptance."

The point is: The more I know, the less I am afraid. At least that's what I came to understand when I learned more about dragonflies: They may have long tails, but they don't sting. They have unbelievably delicate-looking wings by which they fly even to relatively great heights across large open spaces. They inspire us by their beauty, but indeed, they are predators, born to kill (other bugs, yay!). That's why I chose them as the theme for this blog. This cactus would be another great theme choice.

And then there's this: