These days I'm so blown away at the extremism of everything that I just sit and think a lot. When I sit and think a lot, I decide what's what, and that then gets put away for the meanwhile. I'm not a worrier, I reject despair for the demon it is, and there's so much happening All The Time these days that I just move on. But some things keep surfacing.
Like, opinions are not facts, folks. Strider sent me this great succinct piece about that:
http://www.houstonpress.com/arts/no-it-s-not-your-opinion-you-re-just-wrong-7611752
It drives me nuts. People must know this. Yet I see it every day.
The level of hatred. Holy shit I haven't seen people so mean and rotten since grade school as they are these days online. And I'm amazed to find people I thought I knew saying such things. Religious and racial hatred are the worst I've seen since the 60s. Political hatred is the new black. And this general atmosphere is leading to people killing people all over the place.
Every time I see the Staten Island obits, there are a half dozen young people who OD'd or were killed. Some are suicides, and some are kids of people I knew as teenagers. In one family from my old block,.the mother died last Fall, her son (and my friend) died a month later, and his daughter killed herself this Spring. And the soldiers coming home, addicted to opiates they got from the service medic for their wounds. They get zero help and end up in Hell on earth back home. Soldier suicides are put anywhere from 5-20 per day. This struck home when it happened in Kick's family. What the hell.
And then there are amazing mind-blowing great things.
Bernie Sanders. I've met and talked with the man a few times, and even got to give a speech and introduce him once up in Burlington. There's something so extraordinary about Bernie that I can only compare his energy to the Dalai Lama's from 6 feet away. He's got a piece of some good energy, that Bernie. I've never been this excited about a Presidential candidate.
http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/20-examples-bernie-sanders-powerful-record-civil-and-human-rights-1950s
The Pope. I'm a freakin Atheist and I love this guy. He's even got my favorite saint's name.
And we may have found "Earth 2.0"
http://www.iflscience.com/say-hello-earth-20-historic-kepler-discovery-suggests-we-are-not-alone
As for everything else, in the midst of all of it, I'm happy. Which makes the bad standable and the good joyful.
My family is alright, lots of moving this Summer, from Indy to Myrtle Beach (at last), to Toronto from BC, to Albany from Corvallis, OR. Billy is settled into getting his house fixed and has a guy to do it. Who knows if he'll ever move. I've let go of how he's eating or not eating. He'll do what he'll do whatever I say so why cause tsuris. We talk every other day.
The Summer is at the tipping point (and hooray for the incoming Fall!). Old friends are coming up from the city, some I haven't seen in 22 years. That should be wild. Strider will come in August too, with Olive the Kissydog. I foresee lots of laughing in August. Maybe I'll go down to see Billy in September. We'll see. What to do with Beest is the question. She abides, sleeping through this heat and humidity, and is moody-go-bitchy as always.
As Jon Stewart and Garrison Keillor retire, Berkeley Breathed comes back. We could use Gary Larson and Bill Watterson coming back, too. I live in hope. :)
I hope everyone who loves Summer is enjoying it for all it's worth. And I hope all who are in Winter are loving it for what it is.
Peace.
x
MYSTERIOUS GARDEN
10 months ago
Posts
6 comments:
I agree with everything you've said about the state of today's world. Hatred and stupidity seem to be on the upswing, and common sense and decency sometimes seem to be fading away... but that isn't the whole story, thank goodness. If it were, we might be tempted to give up. Give up... HELL! There's still plenty of good things to hang onto, and still plenty of good, decent, and caring people in the world. So there is always hope.
Have an awesome rest of the summer. :)
Earth 2.0 had better find itself a cloaking device and fast if it wants to avoid the mess we've made of Earth 1.0. Something tells me we won't have improved any by the time we have to find humankind a new home.
You are right about the hating, and you and Susan are right about the wonder and the goodness. Just at the moment the hate seems to be drowning, suffocating, poisoning, infecting the goodness. I am tending towards despair. Hopeful because that is who I am, but despairing none the less. And I agree with Delores.
I am however revelling in our winter.
Peace from me to you too.
I understand completely about hate on internet. I used to tweet, but now I don't feel like because as soon as I turn twitter on I see hateful remarks between celabreties. I do not understand why every thing has to be in strong words either.
We are in summer and kind of enjoying it after work an on days off. Happy summer to you too.
I can always rely on a thought-provoking post here. Opinions have a special status in democracy. One finds oneself possessed of an opinion and wonders,"If I have this opinion, might I not have another and another?" and government by discussion is born. By this calculus, one examines opinions for substance and, if no visible means of support are found, declares them vagrant and sends them on their way. It ought to be a dignified and courteous process --if our mothers taught us right-- but too often isn't. And yet, the gentle voice of reason undergirds it. When firey rhetoric evaporates, there is empiricism to do. The rationalist goes off to think about it --and as you say, decides what's what.
It's nice to see you still writing and it's great to hear that you're happy.
Yeah, there's some terrible things happening and it's good to remember there's some good stuff as well: Bernie, Papa Francis, etc.
And there's even a bunch of good things out here on Staten Island. They just don't always make the news.
Enjoy the rest of the summer and I hope you have a wonderful fall.
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