I can't help but feel surprised whenever I come across someone who's talking about the idea of doing something "when the world returns to normal."
Normal???
What is this "normal," of which you speak?
Down to a sunless sea...
Color me cynical, but I don't think there's much of a chance we'll ever return to "normal"... or whatever you might call the state of the world in — let's say — late 2019. A year ago.
If anything, I think we're just in the middle of a great big re-set of some kind.
To be honest, though, I am not sure I want to go back to where things were a year ago. I'd much rather head towards something "new and improved" if such a thing were possible.
And therein lies the infamous "rub", of course. Odds seem very high that we are simply headed towards something different that's not necessarily better.
Sunflower and prayer flags
Still, maybe it's a requirement of the human psyche to fill ourselves with some kind of hope — however futile — that better things are somewhere out ahead. Alas, I have grown increasingly skeptical in my old age... the only thing I feel reasonably assured of is that "things" are ahead. And, most likely, they will be no improvement on what we currently call the "status quo."
To wit, in a couple of weeks there will be a Presidential election in the US of A. Yup, it's just two weeks ahead, and I feel slightly ashamed and sad to admit that I have never cared less about politics than I do, right now.
Regardless of who gets elected, chances are that we'll be dealing with a munted shitshow for the next four years, and beyond.
Deep purple cornflower in our meadow...
"Politics" is a strange fish, at the best of times.
You can talk to people about politics, and what their "party affiliation" or "political leanings" might be, but if you start to drill down into why — or why not — something is actually a good idea when functionally applied, you are often met with blank looks.
So much of the time, we vote for things or throw our energy and enthusiasm behind them for little more reason than they SOUND good but there's very little substantive thinking that goes into how people arrive at their beliefs.
And so often? So often such closely held beliefs are misguided and not actually based in applied reality but instead in the need to feel like "we're behind a movement."
Calendula
Liberal? Conservative? Anarchist? Libertarian? Communist? Socialist? Oligarchist? Imperialist? Nationalist? Monarchist? Fascist?
Why is any one of these "-isms" good for YOU, and why is a world where a majority thinks like you do a good thing? And how is what you purport to stand behind bad for some, and how bad will it be, for them? "To the victor goes all the spoils" the old truism goes... but what is ultimately the net effect on the losers in that equation? Or is their "lot" ultimately reduced to needing to "snap into lie or perish" in a totalitarian sort of way?
Do you even understand what the -ism you stand for means, in a practical sense? People love to throw political terms around — often as incendiary insults — without actually knowing what the term they are using truly means. For example, Cuba is a "Socialist" country, Sweden is not. The USA is a Federal Democratic Republic. So is Germany.
Roses in our garden
When I was five or six years old I pretty much decided that the world was not a nice place and now that I'm past sixty, I still feel that the world is not a nice place.
That thought doesn't make very happy and it also doesn't make me very hopeful, even as I accept that it seems to be the pervasive reality we must all live with.
But would I call it "normal?" Undecided, on that one...
Thanks for reading, and I hope you're all having a good week!
How about YOU? Do you think we'll ever return to "normal?" Is "normal" even a real thing, or just a figment of our imaginations? Or is all we have merely "the next thing," whatever it may be? Comments, feedback and other interaction is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!
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Created at 20201020 22:58 PDT
0124/1351
Concur! We are purging some serious ugly right now. It’s not really good or bad. It’s just a simple necessity. We overdosed on denial and now we need a detox. It looks ugly sometimes but after a day or two we’ll be ok probably, As long as we steer it in the best direction possible. We might need to take a look at that liver a bit later but first things first, detox!
"Overdosed on denial." That sounds about right... I just hope the detox is enough and can be done without a descent into total chaos and disintegration. As in, let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater...
I'm with you, but I'm not too worried. I mean, most generations have probably thought they were living at the end of times. Statistically they've been pretty wrong 😂. I'm not sure whether or not that matters, I'm not a big fan of statistics, but life is resilient and adaptable and things often look worse than they are. The way I see it, we would have been done a long time ago if it weren't for optimists and so I am as optimistic as I can be ❤️
I try to be as optimistic as possible, and I have found it helpful to simply let go of of the idea that anything will turn out according to any scenario I might have in mind. If nothing else, the human experience is reliably UN-reliable!
Alright, sorry for language but, shit, this is amazing.
Troubles caused by politics is the least thing we need during this time. Although, at the same time, we are sure getting a massive metric ton of it. And there are more people contributing to make it worse! Dang, it just gets depressing. Don't worry, it's not only in the US. Sure it's not good news, but... yeah don't worry about it :^)
Is the world a nice place? I don't know... but I think it's kinda nice when I'm ignorant and forgetful.
And sometimes I'm really good at that. Maybe that's nice.
I feel cautiously hopeful that this might be a sort of "last gasp" of destructive old ways trying to hold onto an outdated status quo... and that something better might emerge after a very unpleasant "reset" for all of us... but only time will tell.
in reference to your ism's....
https://peakd.com/hive-122315/@lucylin/misconceptions-about-left-right-politics-it-s-really-statism-v-liberty
...and this about you! lol
https://peakd.com/hive-122683/@lucylin/vxhrskhx
...you seem pretty quiet at the moment matey? Hope you're ok.
Ah yes, the wheel of political leanings.
I'm OK, thanks. Mostly been busy flogging red barns on eBay... trying to replace the +/- $3K we normally make in November and December as vendors at arts and crafts fairs, all of which have been canceled this year.
Mysteriously enough, our electric, phone and Internet bills have not been canceled.
But yeah, I'm OK... and thanks for asking!
Ok, cool.
According the newer news, I would say Normalists!
Since politically, economically, financially and technologically speaking. We are potentially to only two weeks away from finally becoming into the most normal virtual beings of a possible cyber figment of New Normalcy without further delay.
Normalists!
It'll be very interesting to see what happens after November 3rd...
Indeed! The true script and plot is exactly the same as previously planned. The hired 'actors' to play the role as protagonists this time might look physically and mentally different but they all have been pick and trained to learn to the letter the very same script and plot for what they were chosen in this ongoing pantomime. There is no change in the "normalcy" agenda. Or they do how they've been told or simply are out of the New Game.
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