While listening to one of my favorite author’s books for the zillionth time (Douglas Adams, The Salmon of Doubt) this occurred to me. He who shall not be named is acting, or perhaps has always acted, like he is in the famous Puddle Story that can be found in many places other than The Salmon of Doubt. If you are unfamiliar, read below. And insert the name in where best it fits.
“Imagine a puddle waking up one morning and thinking, "This is an interesting world I find myself in — an interesting hole I find myself in — fits me rather neatly, doesn't it? In fact it fits me staggeringly well, may have been made to have me in it!" This is such a powerful idea that as the sun rises in the sky and the air heats up and as, gradually, the puddle gets smaller and smaller, it's still frantically hanging on to the notion that everything's going to be alright, because this world was meant to have him in it, was built to have him in it; so the moment he disappears catches him rather by surprise. I think this may be something we need to be on the watch out for. We all know that at some point in the future the Universe will come to an end and at some other point, considerably in advance from that but still not immediately pressing, the sun will explode. We feel there's plenty of time to worry about that, but on the other hand that's a very dangerous thing to say.”
Thus the puddle picture from MC Escher.
I have often used this mental journey in my thinking about climate change and how so many humans seem to believe that the universe was indeed created for just this species. But it works for today, right now too I think. It is uncomfortable for the hole to be the White House perhaps, but you know who is the puddle and that works very fine. Use what ever liquid you please as all liquids do evaporate. Clearly temperatures are on the rise in OUR house that is white. Evaporation is happening, in fits and starts, piece by piece. But it all will be gone. And then we will just have to disinfect the hole.
In further thought, there may be one, and only one, acceptable reason for Douglas Noel Adams leaving us WAY too soon. You might notice that his initials are DNA. This is some thing he was known to point out and he was a real lover of science for sure. But the heart attack at age 49 in May 2001 did prevent him from experiencing the catastrophe of leadership in both the UK and the USA. He was a prolific author and even participated in Monty Python a bit. His life was much more than just The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I miss his whit and charm and grace and authentic desires to fix everything. Adams said, probably more than once, “We don't have to save the world. The world is big enough to look after itself. What we have to be concerned about is whether or not the world we live in will be capable of sustaining us in it.” Although I never got to meet or see him in person, he is certainly missed more that he who shall not be named will ever, or can be.