Can we just take a moment to appreciate Mary Shelley?

Dear Reader —

I was looking through some old novels and found this highlighted from an earlier reading:

“Even broken in spirit as he is, no one can feel more deeply than he does the beauties of nature. The starry sky, the sea, and every sight afforded by these wonderful regions, seems still to have the power of elevating his soul from earth. Such a man has a double existence: he may suffer misery, and be overwhelmed by disappointments; yet, when he has retired into himself, he will be like a celestial spirit that has a halo around him, within whose circle no grief or folly ventures … Thus strangely are our souls constructed, and by slight ligaments are we bound to prosperity and ruin.” — Mary Shelley

^ That’s from Frankenstein. A truly iconic work which as a whole describes some of humans most beautiful sentiments and fatal flaws. They say that the monsters we create as a society, the monsters we write about and create in myth, reflect heavily upon the societal fears of the time. I think many of these fears present in her time can also be seen today.

Above, she highlights some of the beauty to be found in the center of a human soul, a human soul that we all have inside of us, and which connects to the others around us. I find it both comforting and concerning that we still face the same fears and pleasures of a time gone by, but an overwhelming joy that the human spirit, and the spirit of magic, is capable of connecting and uplifting those around us.

Enjoy the beauty of humanity, it’s here to stay.

— J.R.