Why do I write?

A river can’t be rushed. The current, boulders and bramble in the midst, the river becomes larger than its passengers. So when I shoved my boat from the shoreline, my endeavor became a journey of obstacles, scenery, and faces old and new. Along the way, rocks bruised my shins, my palms became calloused by the oar grips, and ignorance abraded my ego. But with toil, comes resilience and appreciation. The more I row, the more I understand the passing landscape. And downstream the rugged, stunning topography shifts. The canyon walls encroach the river, suffocating the passageway. In the narrow confines, the stream becomes furious and tumultuous. Other vessels congest the waterway; their oarsmen are so focused on pointing their bows downstream they ignore the mounting paddock.

The Ardent Halo saga is the culmination of two stories – two elements of a challenge facing humanity: safeguarding the old while propagating the new. We have challenged the elements of this world, and those elements will define our future and fate. We love our children and their children to come but the river can only ferry so many. Discussions of the consequences of our manifest destiny are rare. When will the magnitude of our population be considered? Who will warn the others that only so many of us can drift this way? Let not hubris drown the travelers. Allow reflection to govern the morrow.