Eternal Progress?

July 24, 2026 8:21pm

I am sitting in the dream chair on the barn porch and spy the half-moon 30 degrees above the tree line just before it is obscured by the clouds. July has been brutally hot here in Louisville. We spent the 4th in Philadelphia with some SAR friends. It was extremely hot there too – exacerbated by the multiple layers of colonial clothing. Our B&B was a few blocks from Independence Hall, and we were on the top floor of a six-story building. The air conditioning was minimal and the temperature at bedtime would have sent anyone else to a hotel. But with a fan we managed.

One guy did pass out on our last day there. We conducted a five-patriot grave marking at Christ Church cemetery where Ben Franklin and four other signers of the declaration are buried. It was very hot even in the shade and many attendees were old, so it is somewhat surprising that more SAR members didn’t succumb to the heat.

I’m getting little done this month – due to the heat and the pain in the side presumably caused by a kidney stone set to be eliminated August 12….we’ll see.

I think to write a letter to my deceased father. Wouldn’t he like to know what’s happened since he died a year ago?

I’ve been wondering what life will be like if we find that we have reached the end of scientific discovery. This is entirely possible, though many subconsciously believe that progress is eternal. That may be incorrect. There are laws of physics that are called ” LAWS” for a reason. You can’t ignore them…and if further progress is impossible – we’re done. We can’t count on technological advancements to save us, so we will have to be accountable. We will need to do the right thing.

What if there is a part of consciousness that is the abstract thing we call “spirituality?” I no longer believe in a supernatural component of reality – but there is a part of many of us that we could call ” spirit” or ” soul” and that part cannot be denied. It is as real as any other human psychological characteristic. Perhaps we need to recognize this part of our species and approach it from a psychological standpoint rather than a religious standpoint.

I never saw the moon again after it was lost in the clouds.