Things Change
Fall 2021
Mercifully, the weather has turned cool here in the Valley. The other day I was sitting in my living room when I heard what sounded like rocks hitting our tile roof. When I walked outside I saw massive chunks of ice falling from the sky. This burst of hail, together with a cold stiff breeze, made for an unmistakable announcement: Summer is over.
Another sign of fall is our neighborhood getting haunted. There are ghosts and skeletons lurking in people’s front yards. There are giant spider webs covering windows and doors. It’s kind of spooky.
The colors don’t change much in the desert, but it’s refreshing to walk outdoors without being scorched by the sun. To see changing colors in Arizona, you have to go up north.
For me personally, fall means quarter one is in the books and I get a week of freedom from the classroom. The year started out well, everyone excited to get back to in-person learning, but the school year is a grind. Emotions and wits started to fray by late September, and, well — the break is much needed for everyone.
As an introvert, the constant interactions of classroom teaching are draining. It’s fun, I enjoy it, but I sure do look forward to a week of solitude. Wendy and I are up in Wickenburg as I write this newsletter. It’s quiet. At night, a blanket of stars covers the sky.
Fall is also a reminder that, like clockwork, things change. During the summer, the heat feels permanent, unescapable. You can’t hardly imagine what cool weather feels like.
The fallacy of permanence.
When things aren’t going so well, the inevitability of change is a welcome reminder.
Ross Douthat, columnist for the New York Times, has a theory of American society and culture. He thinks we’re stuck in a rut. He wrote a book called The Decadent Society. A quick summary of the problem, from this book review I wrote:
In short, Douthat argues that we live in a time of political, economic, and cultural stagnation. We might be a rich and powerful country, but we’re not inventing anything new — not really. We’re not exploring or discovering or progressing like past generations of Americans. We haven’t colonized the moon or even set foot on Mars. We’re still burning fossil fuels to get around. We’re not enacting significant reforms. We’re running on a treadmill. Our popular culture is recycling old tropes and trends.
Douthat has theories for how we might break out of this stagnation. Some of them aren’t pretty. Decadence isn’t the best, but you can imagine a lot worse than being stuck in a rut.
My own theory is that we will break out of our stagnation when we decide to. What it will take is for people to stop listening to the hive mind of social media. What it will take is the emergence of creative and virtuous political leaders who have a deeply ingrained sense of purpose. And for citizens to rally around these leaders. What it will take is artists and writers to shatter the barriers of conformity. And for patrons to support these artists. What it will take is a modern-era renaissance.
The first step, I suppose, is to believe that it’s possible.
Links and News
Video of a flash flood in Wickenburg, Arizona
More of this please: Random act of kindness in Wickenburg: “This almost brought me to tears. A perfect stranger helping out another human being just because it's the right thing to do.”
Wickenburg Oktoberfest is Saturday, October 16th: “Join us for the first Wickenburg Oktoberfest. German food, beer tasting, German music and dancing, and much, much more in historic downtown Wickenburg!”
Oldest, first synagogue in Phoenix turns 100 years old: “This synagogue became the first synagogue in the Phoenix area that served the Jewish community of Phoenix then but also served as a home of worship for other ethnicities and religions over the years. It has a rich history that resembles the history of Phoenix – diverse, pioneering, and complex.”
LDS Mesa Temple is opening to public for third time since 1920s. Here's how to visit
Here is a guide on what to know for the 2021 Arizona State Fair: “The fair will run Wednesdays through Sundays through Oct. 30.”
9 Must-See Abandoned Places to Explore in Arizona: “Living through a global pandemic might be post-apocalyptic enough for some, but if you want to add an extra layer of creepiness to your life, traipsing through abandoned (and likely haunted) places might be for you.”
Photos of the Month
"1907 Buick at Apache Buick Company," McCulloch Brothers Inc. Photographs, Arizona State University Libraries: Arizona Collection.
“Baghdad Copper Mine,” 1930, McCulloch Brothers Inc. Photographs, Arizona State University Libraries: Arizona Collection.
Chandler, Arizona. September, 2021.
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Cholla Express is a twice-monthly Substack, written by a Phoenix-based high school teacher. To learn more about the writer, visit my homepage.