Heart Talk

Call Me Ishmael

On the first page of “Moby Dick,” Herman Melville has Ishmael, the narrator of the tale, speak these words: “Whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul…it was high time to get to sea.” He goes on to say, “Almost all men in their degree, sometime or other, cherish very nearly the same feeling toward the ocean with me.”

I am not sure if Ishmael was speaking about his psychological condition, the weather, or both. The weather in Nantucket in November can certainly be damp and drizzly, but one’s soul can feel these same things with the sun shining.

My heart and mind, if not my soul, feel damp and drizzly this late November and I, like Ishmael, feel it is time to get close to the sea. Instead of joining the crew of an ill-fated whaling ship, I shall commune with the sea at what is the most beautiful spot in Laguna Beach where surf meets land: Crescent Bay Point Park.

Far from being a damp and drizzly morning, I find, as I exit my car, it is too warm to wear my light windbreaker. It is not yet 8:30 in the morning. Some would say, “Oh, what a beautiful day!” But wait, this is late November, and even here in sunny southern California, we are supposed to have crisp, cool fall mornings. But get ready for the new and deadly normal.

Entering the park, I always stop and admire the uniquely shaped tree planted by the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Walking past this, I head left so as to see the sandy beach of Crescent Bay. The waves are calm this Sunday and there are no surfers. As always, foreign voices belonging to people who point with glee and wonder at the sites below can be heard. Guide books must tell tourists to visit Crescent Bay. Good advice.

As I walk to my right, past the seal sculpture, I can see the spot where my wife’s ashes lay at rest beyond the waves. On this side of Crescent Bay, there is no sand, just rock outcroppings. Here the waves strike and splash shooting white foam into the sky. We are all lucky to live in Laguna Beach; the people who live on this cliff are especially lucky.

Lingering at this spot, a serenity seeps into my heart. If I were Biblically inclined, I might say my soul had been restored. But then, the reason for my visit returns to my mind. Not just Laguna Beach, not just coastal communities, not just our nation, but the entire world is balancing on the knife’s edge.

Congress had mandated a report by 13 federal agencies on the effects of climate change in the United States. If looked at coldly, rationally, it should scare the hell out of us. It should make us wonder if our children and grandchildren will see the same coast we now see. How many more droughts and wildfires will we endure? How much economic devastation is already upon us?

The findings of the report are stark: $1 trillion in coastal real estate is threatened by rising seas levels and storm surges; climate change will impede economic growth; California is already feeling the effects. And, oh yes, the report leaves no doubt that humans are to blame for the changing climate.

You might have noticed that the current administration has displayed a willingness to dismiss scientific findings and warnings dealing with climate change. They have already started a campaign to put this report on the back burner. The Trump Administration chose to release this report the day after Thanksgiving, a day when most Americans had their mind on other things. They hoped it would go largely unnoticed and they could continue with their policies of environmental deregulation.

I am not sure we have the time or resolve to halt the damage we have done to our planet. That is why my mind and soul are damp and drizzly, even on warm sunny days.

Ishmael, you went down to the sea. I fear in a generation or two, the sea will be coming up to us.

James Utt is the author of “Laguna Tales and Boomer Wails.” He hopes it is not too late to save his beloved Crescent Bay Point Park.