Time better spent...

By Vichara

We proceed with the actions in a day supported by a conviction that what we do is justified. The justification is hopefully based in self-knowledge and having discerned the difference between right and wrong…but where did those definitions come from? From what someone has told you or what you believe? When you employ and develop your intuitive senses, the truth in that recognizing this companion of life as it is, we can use the time spent in fear more purposely by inspiring and helping each other to be happy.

xeric • \ZEER-ik\ • adjective
: characterized by, relating to, or requiring only a small amount of moisture

Example Sentence:
Many cacti have thick, succulent stems that can store enough water to allow them to survive even in xeric habitats.

Did you know?
By the late 1800s, botanists were using the terms “xerophyte” and “xerophytic” for plants that were well adapted for survival in dry environments. But some felt the need of a more generic word that included both animals and plants. In 1926 that group proposed using “xeric” (derived from "xēros," the Greek word for “dry”) as a more generalized term for either flora or fauna. They further suggested that “xerophytic … be entirely abandoned as useless and misleading.” Not everyone liked the idea. In fact, the Ecological Society of America stated that “xeric” was “not desirable,” preferring terms such as “arid.” Others declared that “xeric” should refer only to habitats, not to organisms. Scientists used it anyway, and by the 1940s “xeric” was well documented in scientific literature.