— thoughts by Rev Russ Menk November 2019

During the PG&E power shutdowns in late October, I was camping in North Eastern California—exploring small towns. While I did not experience the wildfires directly, I needed to disconnect our camper’s smoke detector because it randomly went off (a startling sound when you are driving).

One day, we were in Grass Valley (population 13,000) where all power had been shutoff. It was surreal to be in a town transformed into a ghost town. All stores were closed, and the only place to buy gas was at a station running generators—and those rare stores were crowded.
As we sat in an abandoned parking lot checking our phones (cell towers were still working), we searched to see what areas may have had power. Leaving the parking lot, there were cars—lots of cars—in one end of the shopping complex. With keen powers of observation, we decided that SOMEONE HAD POWER. Finding a parking place in a very crowded lot, we entered the local Safeway.

The place was crowded. I counted 45 people in line at the in-store Starbucks. The aisles were filled with people shopping—and not shopping for survival goods (water, batteries, shelf stable food). They were just shopping—wandering up and down the aisles in a store with lights, heat, and background music. A leisure atmosphere filled the store. No one hurried. People were lined up at the deli. All checkout lines were filled. This was the only place in town that was “normal” and people were attracted in mass to this powered island in an ocean of powerlessness. Somehow word had gotten out that Safeway was open, and people from the entire area were drawn in.

What does this bellwether event show about human reaction to communal adversity and hardship? Loosing electrical power for a few days may not be a tragedy, but it may be an early indication of how we’ll respond to future energy shortages—and the future of climate changes.

I believe people gathered at the Safeway to be together in community. Though few were talking or interacting—the hunger for a snippet of normalcy brought them together. Trends of isolation have lessened our skills at being together in conversation. The divisiveness of our country has us fearful of talking with anyone who may have beliefs different from ours. Our cautiousness of being vulnerable with a stranger sustains our social isolation.

Yet, people gathered at the Safeway. Writers tell us of a coming state of Abnormalcy, where the new will not be anything like the existence that we’ve grown accustomed to living. Climate changes may shift all that we consider normal (temperatures, fires, winds, sea levels, floods, droughts, seasonal extremes, etc). Yet, people gathered at the Safeway.

I have hope that humanity will adapt to the coming state of Abnormal. We won’t like the transition, because it will be uncomfortable and challenge our hunger for normalcy. We will complain and get angry and look for someone to blame. But, if we all gather at the Safeway—we’ve shown we can be together in peace amid adversity, and maybe that will be our starting point for working out our collective future.

I have faith and hope that we will adapt to the coming state of Abnormal using our Unitarian Universalist principles and values. May it be so…………..yours in shared ministry…….Rev Russ