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Robert Braile's avatar

Zanny and Roland,

I was drawn to two moments in your reflections. One was your observation, Zanny, of how mountains exude a "humbling" effect that's "encouraging," the suggestion of "a wisdom in nature that exists beyond my own human thoughts and concerns, that will outlast my lifetime and those of my descendants. To me, that's comforting." The other was your observation, Roland, of the significance of the phrase "hopeful souls" and how it suggests a distinction between the hopeful and the hopeless in our world.

There's a way these moments converge for me, oriented about faith, grace, humility, and redemption. The quote (“On tops of mountains, as everywhere to hopeful souls, it is always morning.") is classic Thoreau, expressing with metaphoric flourish his Transcendental view of nature as humanity's only hope for salvation. If God created nature and humanity in his perfect image, and if humanity has lost its faith, fallen from grace, and abandoned divine perfection, then humanity's only path to salvation is to embrace nature, which is all that remains of perfection.

Converge the moments of your exchange, and Thoreau's quote can be read as expressing this Transcendental paradigm. Hopeful souls are actually faithful souls, who once lost their faith, fell from grace, and abandoned divine perfection, but who now seek redemption and salvation as an act of faith, the restoration of divine perfection, humbly from a divine presence greater than their own. In such an encouraging pursuit, it could only be morning on the tops of the mountains that humble and comfort us, as it could only be morning everywhere for those who pursue. Vintage Thoreau, if read from this eco-theological perspective, one of many possible interpretations.

--Bob

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Christy Umberger's avatar

"Like recognizing that there is a wisdom in nature that exists beyond my own human thoughts and concerns, that will outlast my lifetime and those of my descendants. To me, that's comforting." 😦😍😍

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