Intro

For years, I kept a Gahan Wilson New Yorker cartoon pinned on the board above my desk. A horde of worshippers, each wearing a giant “N” on their clothing, is hailing or genuflecting before an altar-like structure, which has gilded Ns on its sides and a fringed banner on top declaring “NOTHING.” Holy men are chanting, playing music, and burning incense. A curious onlooker has tapped the shoulder of a congregant. Somewhat bewildered, he asks, “Is nothing sacred?”

Read in that what you will, but the cartoon still cracks me up all these years later. Recently it’s come back to mind, not because nothing seems sacred, but because everything does. Our culture is shifting radically and rapidly as we try to atone for the sins of the past and to create safe spaces for people who’ve long felt unsafe, and many of us are struggling to adapt and comprehend a physical world that is no longer predictable or familiar. That’s all important stuff—really important stuff.