The Unclad Soul

The massive explosion in Beirut, Lebanon, left a horrific scene of physical and human devastation.   Apparently, poor management and lax safety regulations caused the accident.  My heart goes out to the people there. After seeing the videos of the explosion and the terrible aftermath of human loss and injury, it’s hard to imagine how the city will recover.  They were already far into an economic crisis as well as battling Covid-19.  But the human spirit has a way of surviving unbelievable catastrophes. There is something deep in all of us that clings to hope and to an undeniable longing to keep going. Even in the face of enormous loss and suffering.  In Stephen King’s novel, “The Stand,” a story about a deadly virus that destroys 99% of the American population, a character who survives says, “No one can tell what goes on in between the person you were and the person you become. No one can chart that blue and lonely section of hell. There are no maps of the change. You just come out the