Mid-Month Musings

  

We're just about halfway through the month and the year is quickly coming to a close.  The days are getting "shorter" and here in the Northeast, there is a chill in the air, particularly in the mornings.  The trees are nearly at peak; I LOVE the change in colors, however I am not so fond of what comes next, which tends to be dark and cold.  I remind myself that it is "the circle of life," and would I appreciate the wonders of spring if it weren't for winter?  Profound?  No!  Truthful?  Yes.

The other day was Columbus Day.  I'm a bit on the fence about the holiday (which I did not get off, but my son did, it coincided with a long weekend/fall break).  I can appreciate the pride that people have when it comes to Columbus.  He sailed into unknown territory in search of something new.  He faced many trials during his time at sea. He made a discovery of land that to the people he represented was new.  It was indeed a great accomplishment.  I don't want to put a damper on that and it is worth remembrance and celebration.  However, with that said, he was not the first person to do this (although he wouldn't have known this) and his "discovery" along with those who came after him for centuries, resulted in disruption and destruction for those who were already here;  the indigenous people of the Americas.

A common problem in the history of humanity, at least as I see it, is that mankind so often feels that it has to conquer and tame.  Different does not mean bad.  What was deemed "savage" was just not the norm for the explorers.  Sadly, we often didn't take the time to learn.  When we force "our ways"on others, not only are we hurting them, but we are hurting ourselves and denying ourselves the opportunity to enrich our own lives.

I am not saying that those native to the land on which I live because of the immigration of my ancestors (which I can unofficially trace back to the Pilgrims) were perfect.  No one is.  (It's a lesson we could all stand to learn.)  Like everyone else, there was conflict and fights.  There was cruelty.  But there was also much beauty and knowledge that was ignored and often mocked. Can you imagine how the world might have looked if instead of forcing people to bend to our will, we instead worked with and tried to learn from each other?  We can never know what that might have looked like, but in my mind it would be a better place.  (Although I'm not naive enough to think that it would have brought about some wonderful utopia.)

With all that said (have I pontificated enough?), the holiday was somewhat dimmed, at least here on the east coast, by a Nor'easter.  Although it was not as horrific as the storm that hit in October of 2012, it did bring back for me memories of that awful storm.  I may no longer have a home at the Jersey shore, but the shore will forever be a part of me.  I will always love the patch of land where I spent much of my life (and not just in the summer.)  I love the sound and smell of the surf.  I love the feel of the sand beneath my feet. I love the taste of the salt in the air.  And there's nothing like the sight of the sun rising over the ocean.  In many ways, I wish I still did have a home there.  (In many other ways I am grateful that I do not.)

When the word Nor'easter comes up however, my stomach drops and I feel a deep sense of dread.

Photos like the above (from the Berkley Township Police) reiterates the folly of placing too many (and often too large) homes on the barrier island.  I love the Atlantic Ocean and Barnegat Bay, but I see the opportunity for the two of them to meet once again all too clear.  

Photo from Jan 2024

We can not conquer nature.  (Perhaps that is something we should have learned from the Lenapi and other indigenous peoples who inhabited the area LONG before it became the NJ shore.)  We can live with it.  We can adjust to it.  But we cannot conquer and we still have a long way to go in learning how to care for and respect it.  Sometimes I wonder if it is too late for the barrier island.  Has too much damage been done?  Why have we not learned from history?  

Perhaps that is a question that we should ask ourselves when it comes not just to nature, but to mankind as well.  Why have we not learned from history?  The history of our country, the history of our world is NOT pretty.  However, it is my opinion (and my hope), that if we paused and took the time to reflect on the past, looking at our mistakes as well as our achievements,  we could have a better world for all.  (And when I say all, I mean ALL...not just humankind, but all living things.)