Reflecting on Nature, a Soviet Exile, and the American Soul
The second in a series on Depolarizing Politics
“. . . The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either — but right through every human heart — and through all human hearts. This line shifts. Inside us, it oscillates with the years. And even within hearts overwhelmed by evil, one small bridgehead of good is retained. And even in the best of all hearts, there remains … an unuprooted small corner of evil.”
Alexander Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago. Part IV (1973)
We head towards water and wild places on Labor Day weekend to escape the cacophony of current events. Peaceful reflection remains elusive. Our racial reckoning, overheating planet, and polarized politics crowd out serenity. Courage requires us to listen carefully to our critics and resolve to improve.
I drove to the Whitehall Reservoir in Hopkinton, Massachusetts on Sunday morning in search of rest and reflection. The boat launch is located just 3.5 miles northwest of the starting line of the Boston Marathon. Traumatic memories of the 2013 Marathon bombing are still fresh. The terrorist attack reshaped the priorities and psyches of New Englanders. The wound has been exposed again with the recent vacating of…
