The Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything

The Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything

Love, perhaps.
Forty-two, definitely.

My favorite dish from childhood—Mom’s breaded pork chops with mashed potatoes, gravy, and string beans—comes close. I have yet to reproduce it. Some mysteries remain unsolved.

The examples of this answer are all around us. If you live long enough, and there are trees nearby, you may notice the slow, patient story of a single tree: seed, sprout, sapling, maturity, snag, log, shelter for crawling creatures, decomposition. Eventually, the snag falls and returns its nutrients to the soil, where they’re taken up again by other trees, continuing the cycle.

These were the thoughts I was having while driving north on I-5 last weekend. On a long drive home, listening to Sirius Radio, I learned that Robbie Grey of Modern English wrote “I Melt With You” in about three minutes—while high on pot. Most people hear a love song. It’s actually about nuclear war.

The idea is simple: IF the nukes go off and the world ends, I’d gladly “melt with you.” During the Cold War, citizens were told that at any moment—BOOM!—nukes could fly, and the Earth’s surface would be blasted into nuclear winter.

The Cold War (1945–1991) was a decades-long standoff between the communist Soviet Union and the capitalist United States, plus their allies. Global power struggles played out through arms races, propaganda, space exploration, and proxy wars instead of direct conflict—because nuclear weapons made direct conflict unthinkable. It was a battle of ideology, symbolized by the Iron Curtain dividing Europe.
—The History Channel

As we approach a new year, things feel dim in America. I don’t believe the current administration is suddenly going to pull its head out of its ass and fix federal debt, healthcare, or the cost of groceries and housing. They couldn’t fix their way out of a plastic bag. I’m not interested in empty promises of “Just wait—we’ll all be rich soon. Billionaires! The money is coming!” No. There’s no evidence they’re capable of building a utopia. Division and hate seem to be their primary tools.

It was an emotional experience driving along I-5, past the flooded miles of Skagit Valley farmers’ fields, completely underwater. Before the Samish River Bridge, A spray of water caught my attention. A jet skier was buzzing around a field for a little fun, making the most of the situation. A jet ski needs at least three to five feet of water to operate. This fucking year. Skagit Valley and North Whatcom County are underwater. Record-breaking flood levels are covering our berry, flower, grain, and vegetable fields and drowning homes. It feels like the end of the world.

So I send out love to my fellow commuters, weekenders, jet skiers, neighbors and emergency response teams—love. And *BOOM* — if the world stops, we all melt together, it would be my pleasure to melt with you.

cover photo credit: Water from the Skagit River floods farms and homes near Lyman, Wash., on Thursday, 12-11-2015. Stephen Brashear/AP