About Sandy Springs reporter. (Sandy Springs, GA) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 2, 2024)
SUSTAINABILITY UUTH A y y 0 4 2025 ' ATLANTA JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL \ IN THEATERS FEB. 19 - MAR. 6 STREAMING MAR. 7-16 AJFF.ORG AJC American Jewish Committee Founder & Partner Finding reserves of strength in difficult times Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts... There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature—the assurance that dawn comes afier night, and spring afier the winter. — Rachel Carson On the first Wednesday in November, I went to the river. The political news of that morning had knocked the breath from my body and sent tears down my face—visceral responses to the outcome of the most caustic and consequential presidential election in my lifetime. The election result wasn’t a total surprise to me, even though I had hoped for a different outcome. A near majority of Americans had loudly expressed unhappiness with the status quo and demanded a major shift in our country’s leadership toward a more partisan, authoritarian style of government. In history, change is the motivation for most political outcomes. What worries me—actually frightens me—is the steady decay of the truth in recent years. It has poisoned efforts to find common ground and solve problems, most consequentially the climate crisis. This aversion to the truth—to facts, data, and science—has amplified divisiveness among family, friends, and neighbors; there is no end is in sight. I believe that policy decisions affecting our families and communities should be based on the truth, and on honesty, fairness, kindness, and justice for all. These are the values I was taught as a child and that I have taught my sons. The anticipated shifts in federal governance appear poised to harm millions of people, especially those less fortunate—as well as the air, land, and water upon which we all depend. Refrains of nature I have walked the same trail in Atlanta’s “backyard” national park— the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area—for more than five years. During one of those years, I walked through the woods along Cabin Creek to its confluence with the river nearly every week, finding awe everywhere I looked, especially as the seasons changed. My journal notes from those visits spawned the idea for my book, “Keeping the Chattahoochee.” On my post-election walk, the weather was warm, ten degrees above the “normal” average for a November day in Atlanta. Trekking pole in hand, I headed downhill toward the river, hoping to ABOVETHE WATERLINE Sally Bethea 18 | DECEMBER 2024 ROUGHDRAFTATLANTA.COM
