Someone asked me the other day why I hadn't written a blog entry lately. Well, it's not for lack of trying. I'm being blocked by my fears and anxieties. I can't seem to pick one topic to write about, or if I settle on one, it's too big, and I can't figure out how to whittle it down. Just to try and 'unblock', I made a list of my concerns. Here it is.
The Pandemic
Climate change
Electronics outpacing my ability to keep up
Tribalization of the USA culture
Dementia
Information Overload
Death of Civility
Public School System
Artificial Intelligence
Cyber Attacks
Wealth Inequality
Racism/Rise of White Supremacy
Facism/Socialism creeping into our politics
Social Media - too few hands holding the reins
Lack of Trust in American Institutions
Guns - pick either side of the argument - it's all arguing; no solutions
Globalization (both politically & economically)
Solar Flares (also known as "The Sky is Falling")
California falling off into the ocean
Louisiana/Florida three feet under water
The NEXT Pandemic
The Apocalypse - (also known as World War III)
Dystopian/Utopian Societies coming to fruition
Euthanasia/Lack of Euthanasia
The Ultra Right
The Ultra Left
The Electoral College
The Death of Facts
The Loss of Journalism
Death of Paper (Books, Newspapers, Magazines)
Abortion as politics
Too many choices (you pick the product)
The Economy
The Housing Market
Do we stay or do we go?
Selling our AZ house
Cedric's World (both the micro and the macro)
The Anxiety of Weather Monitoring
North Korea
Middle East
Hunger in the USA
I didn't even PAUSE making the above list. I didn't have to ponder. And, frankly, I'm appalled by the ease with which the list flowed out. I've realized mainly I'm distressed about the current climate of negativity which threads through everything. Most movies, music, books, opinion pieces, news leads, TV shows, documentaries, etc., etc., etc. - negative. Life around me seems to be more about "Bah, Humbug" rather than "Coming Up Roses". The Scrooge view is seeping into my personal view of life. Never have I ever had to search and search for optimism either externally or internally. Life for me is always half full. My family kids me I could find a silver lining if my arm fell off. (I'm not exactly sure about THAT - but you get the picture.)
I don't want anyone to think, "Curmudgeon" - (if you don't know the word, look it up - you carry a damn computer in your pocket 24/7). I don't think life was better fifty years ago because it wasn't. We had dirty air, dirty water, second class citizens, nuclear proliferation, the Cold War (which threatened to heat into Nuclear War), out of control diseases, and a 'hot war' to name a few. (Again, I didn't even have to pause to come up with that list.)
Just writing that last paragraph makes me realize every age has its burdens. Why is it the burdens of this age loom so much larger as I ponder them? Is it the realization solutions are never nice and neat. Or is it once one problem solves, another one presents itself? There's never any laurel resting. Or does the winding down of my life making me realize the world of humans was/is/will be always infinitely messy.
So, what's the solution: List making isn't it. Picking something off the list and work on it? (Yes, idiot I am, I believe one person can make a difference.) Am I too much inside my head? Is it vague agoraphobia which came free for me with the pandemic? Should I disconnect, and just give up? Looking for solutions here. Also, looking to hear what you want to read about. Think of this blog as a suggestion box. All suggestions welcome. Just DON'T ADD TO MY LIST.
