Micah 6:8
Psalm 104:25-26
Yes, your life matters.
Some of you are still sheltering in place, but fear not: I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?
While it doesn't seem to be an official holiday, today ought to be considered National Combat Insomnia Day, as on this date in 1851 Moby Dick was published. Melville's novel about a sailor's obsession with tracking down and killing an elusive whale that took his leg in a previous encounter is not only considered one of the great novels of all time, it has also put countless readers to sleep in the intervening 170 years.
One bit of evidence of that is my mother who, while an English major at the University of Michigan, managed to negotiate her way out of reading Moby Dick and reading another novel instead, because she simply couldn't stay awake while trying to read it. What an enlightened and accommodating professor she had!
This book has had a lasting impact on literature and popular culture. There are many examples of thinly-disguised Ahab / Moby Dick pairings in other stories. Jean-Luc Picard, for example, had his Moby Dick moment with the Borg. The book, Railsea, by China Mieville is a retelling of the story in a world covered by railroad tracks. Both of those are recommended by me to you.
Another interesting side-note is a blog I used to follow called One Picture for Every Page of Moby Dick. Matt Kish was obsessed with the novel and created an illustration for each of its pages, posting them on his blog daily ... until it became an actual published book. What a cool thing for him! Also recommended.
Keep Calm and Don't Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.
The mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264.
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