Hot is the word of the day. The kind of heat that you perspire in sitting. The rainwater from a week ago has dried up in the Woods Creek. Brooks Pond is looking good. It was up a lot last week. As I listened to a podcast about Monsters, I was intrigued by democracy and being subject to the will of the majority. I love our democratic form of government, but we are at the mercy of people who are ill-informed or ill-intentioned. Thus, we are at the mercy of a President whom the majority of the country does not support.

We introverts are loners. We like to go our own way, dance to the tune of our own drummers. Loners stand out on committees. We are not afraid to have a divergent opinion. Groupthink is not our forte. We are comfortable being on the outside looking in.

Loners are valuable to society, churches, and governments. People who are not interested in going along to get along, and yet not those who cry fire in a crowded theatre. Christ was a loner. He did not fit in with the religious leaders of his day, nor with the political leaders. Jesus spoke of a radical faith. A faith based on inclusion and poor people, sinners, and winebibbers. Jesus spent time with lepers. He ate at the humble tables of fishermen. He sought the counsel of the voiceless and nameless, those who had no voice.

Our Chancellor was fired many years ago, and I stood up and said the firing was without cause. She was a breath of fresh air on our Campus. She loved the blue-collar staff and emphasised their importance to the University. My job and my staff were threatened by the administration. I did not back down. Principle meant more than a job to me. Speaking out against the popular crowd came naturally. I had been invited into the inner sanctum a time or two but chose not to enter. I had to look at myself in the mirror.