In the flood, God starts creation over. But in so doing, God also sees that intervening in human affairs and restarting the world is not a thing to be done lightly; it involves destruction and suffering. So God changes, and trusts in humans to be better, as God hopes for us to be. As we transform the world around us, do we keep our eyes focused on this vision: to reduce suffering, to not harm one another, to sustain the creation with which God has made covenant? Or do we succumb to cruelty and cause suffering? God has hope for us. We try to be better. It is not easy, but this was the life we chose, rather than the life of ignorance, closed off from our curiosity.