“A Sad and Beautiful World”
5/20/26
The line above from the Jim Jarmusch film, “Down By Law” perfectly captures the essence of exploration on the banks of the Ohio River in Cincinnati. If one truly embraces all of life, it includes not averting our eyes to the realities of the cycles of life, impermanence, and destruction. We cling to things. I certainly have. It comes with a high price. I don’t fear encountering these scenes. They are not ugly. They are real. Reminders. Not to be afraid. But to remember the fleeting essence. Our own fleeting essence.
The sanitized paths slicing the perfectly manicured lawns of Smale Park are wonderful. I walk miles of those almost daily and thank the park staff for their efforts. The flowers, as I’ve documented, are beyond beautiful. But so is the muck, debris, deceased wildlife, and washed up objects littering the shore at their final resting place on the river. All one. All part of our experience.
Peace. ☮️ 🙏🌎❤️
“He who exerts himself in constant striving, him we can redeem.”
– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s ‘Faust,
Peace and Love
☮️🙏❤️
