I am, therefore I exist

 

    You start your education in Kindergarten, or in some cases, ‘Head Start’ even before that. You progress through the grades, learning to write, read, do math problems. You learn how to do science experiments, and study social sciences, history, biology. Then you learn more advanced English, grammar and literature. At some point you graduate from high school. Assuming you go on to college, you encounter ever-more-advanced coursework. Maybe you are pursuing a finance or science degree, and encounter a lot of high-level mathematics, calculus, etc. Maybe you take actuarial science, maybe pursue law or medicine. Then, one amazing day, you graduate from college. Holding a degree in hand, the world seems like it is yours.

    Then you start encountering suppression of your intellect. You see political ads that skew the facts one way or the other. You see all kinds of advertisements making all kinds of exaggerated claims. Of course, you know to watch out for these, because you’ve seen ads of one kind or another all your life. Still, you are now a young adult, out in the world, with a real job, probably professional of some kind. You get a decent paycheck, maybe get yourself a new car. You are somebody, a Mr or Mrs “new consumer.”

    You work side by side with people who may utter colloquialisms, or be slanted to one political persuasion or another. And if you want to get along in the workplace, you have to bite your tongue and not disagree too much, that is, if you want to get ahead. So inside you know what you know, but outside, you are being ‘suppressed’ to some degree, out of necessity. (Unless you want to turn every idle conversation into a debate.)

    You may take a partner. After the initial glow wears off, if you get married or live together, you must learn the art of compromise, and sometimes saying what you may not feel, but will make them happy (then they will make you happy in some other way.) Suppression, of a sort. Still, one can live with that – so many do, and thrive, after all.

    So, by the time one hits the upper ages, this fine school education has been exploited, teased, tampered with, swayed this way and that. It can be hard to know what one really believes. If you are religious, you can just leave it all to God, and let it go at that. So any learned method for rational, logical evidence-based decision-making is thrown out the window: All one needs to do is pray. I’m not going to tell anyone not to – if that is what you want to do, go for it. 

    So many of us have been given a first-class education, then been swallowed up by a huge commercial ocean of illogical, emotional, forever-a-teenager thoughts and memes. We are force-fed these from every kind of media outlet there is. The stronger among us can withstand it, can walk away, shut it off, and keep their thinking clear, rational, steady. But many others cannot withstand the constant barrage of imbecilic noise. It gets to you, and changes you, one way or another.

    If one does some book reading, meditation and limits media accesses, one can withstand the garbage barrage a lot better. But it is easy to see why our society is such a tsunami of chaotic confusion nowadays. It is difficult to be rational in such an irrational, insane world. But it is still a worthy struggle nevertheless. Good luck out there.

The stinking masks

 

Time to go out again, where is that mask?

These things are sure a pain in the ass!

But they are needed to stop spread of germs,

even if you tend to breathe in little cotton worms.

What a long, miserable year this has been,

adrift in a sea of riots, disease and discontent;

our country lurching around like the Mary Celeste,

full of ghosts – drifting, directionless, depressed.

One keeps looking for a pinhole of light at wit’s end,

a heap of jumbled policies, they keep trying to defend;

Was it really this bad way back in the Ninteen-twenties?

There were lots more dead bodies, no fodder for the funnies.

Someday, somehow we have got to see this through,

we have before overcome natures tricks so cruel.

When that day comes and we declare a victory,

the celebrations will surely go down in history.

So please keep those odious masks on, everyone;

Someday this will be won, and we’ll burn ‘em for fun.

Insanity Every Day

 

    How can we right ourselves from this Insanity Every Day?

    We have a mad president who keeps picking fights with China, Europe, Iran, etc. He goes through aides like crazy, and ignores any rational advice. His sanity is really in question. Our country has had over 200,000 deaths from Covid-19, and climbing. The CDC keeps changing its guidelines, and seems in turmoil. Every time someone official makes a statement to the press, it just seems like more meaningless double-talk, pablum to make us feel good, since no one really seems to know what is going on, or how to fix it. Faith in government is sinking to a new low. Seems like we’re just going to have to die our way through this pandemic, the way we are going. Masks or no masks, the cases keep increasing.

    One solution might be to attempt some kind of bipartisan approach. But people just can’t agree on anything anymore. Our congress is always at odds. The Republicans see nothing at all wrong in blocking a democratic nominee to the supreme court for over a year, until an election, and yet forcing their own nominee to be submitted a week after a vacancy opens up. And people are supposed to buy the legitimacy and validity of this “representative” form of government?

    Everything that is done merely supports the position of one party or the other. Despite the existence of other parties, this is a two-party form of government, no way around it. And it seems mostly dysfunctional. It is easy to see why dictatorships form. People want action, accomplishment, even if it is destructive accomplishment.

    Right now we are in a limbo formed by constant fighting and bickering back and forth. The only thing that seems to unite US citizens is war – maybe that is why Trump is trying so hard to start one with China. But war is often the worst solution to things, not the best. And the Chinese will not be the pushovers that the Iraqis were. We are bound to take some losses.

    No answers here, only questions. Like how and why does this world just seem to get more and more screwed up every day? Maybe humanity doesn’t deserve to live and occupy this sick Earth. But we are too stubborn to die, so we will keep on, and even infect other worlds with our special brand of craziness. Should be quite a show.

  

Late Summer Walk

 

South wind swirls around the tall trees,

lake water glints sunlight in every direction;

People flock to the windswept trails,

eager to get in that last run/skate/stroll/jog.

Parking places disappear amid heavy traffic,

pedestrians are everywhere you look.

Just getting in and out is quite a driving feat,

No need for accidents on such a beautiful Sunday…

Grey’s Lake, Water Works park and surrounding areas

all have been rejuvenated and made quite sparkling;

The city is really showing some splendor and appeal.

Nothing like years ago when it was a barren ruined area.

 So nice to have endured past hardships and survived,

one can take in all the improvements and feel gratified!

Last Weekend

 

The City

is quiet this morning, taking a pause.

Usual impatience, hurried clamor,

racing cars, squealing tires, near misses

all fade into a foggy September Saturday.

One can take in some air and relax the grip,

rest at home in relative safety for a time.

Work is now yesterday’s memory,

no sight yet of Sunday night’s

anxieties that loom ahead...

Tonight we eat, drink and party,

some going on the hunt for another,

more elusive game than any paycheck.

Would that one could retire and every day

be Saturday, filled with the same delights.

But the reality is not yet, not nearly so...

So tonight I relax, and the city sighs,

resting too, except maybe the nightclub section.

A nearby rail yard lets out a rumble, seemingly saying,

“Don’t get too comfy; Monday is only two days away!”

Drought No More

 

Dry grass punctuated with long cracks,

withered snapdragons struggle to bloom;

Hibiscus barely withstands beetle attacks,

Thirsty Cannas with curled leaves still bloom.

This drought has gone on for long enough,

even the weeds are beginning to droop.

Normally tough when conditions get rough,

the raspberries and day-lillies look like poop.

Our nearby river was swollen for years,

even last spring swamped over its banks;

Now it is a trickle, stoking drought fears,

Beachcombers have mother nature to thank.

Until this week when a big system sweeps in,

many inches of rain will water parched lawns.

The river will fill and swell once again,

Fish and feeders given new room to roam.

Never underestimate the chance of sudden change,

Nature keeps us off balance, acting mighty strange.