July 11, 2020. On Huron Bay, the sky changes moods frequently. What a treat! Some people prefer a consistently-sunny sky, such as in Southern California or Arizona, but I love variety.
Clouds and mist and incoming storms fascinate me. I wonder, then, why our social divisions distress me so? I enjoy the challenge of unpredictable weather — but in daily life, I really just want people to get along. What has happened to “respectful disagreement?” When did we lose the ability to discuss sensitive things amicably, with a mutual desire to better understand each other? To be honest, that wasn’t common in my Upper Peninsula (Yooper) upbringing, marked mainly by stoicism and rugged individualism. But it became common for me, as I traveled and learned and grew.
I suppose both physical nature and human nature have two sides; the beautiful and the beastly. In U.S. society today, we are seeing more beast than beauty. But isn’t that because the beast is louder? The beauty is still there! Yes. I resolve to notice the beauty more than the beast — and by noticing it, magnify it.
When it comes to the sky, though, I will always enjoy both. I will keep my eyes open for the unexpected. Come to think of it, that applies to humanity also. Expect the unexpected! I thank nature for another life lesson.
For Many Moons 
Well said, Mary. I am grateful for your writings.
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Thank you too!
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My internet friend Chris Ladd (politicalorphans dot com) argues that we have lost the unifying mythology that held us together and we are going to have problems until we agree on a new one. He believes that unifying mythology was, to put it bluntly, white supremacy. Maybe one could use the term Western Civilization supremacy instead, or maybe it was anticommunism or something else. But as the Italian political philosopher Antonio Gramsci said “The old world is dying and the new world struggles to be born: now is the time of monsters.”
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It isn’t the 1st time this country or this civilization has faced this challenge, is it? Thank you for the thoughtful response, and for the referral to another thoughtful person. I grieve the (apparent loss) of thoughtfulness…
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