I’ve been reluctant to post lately; resorting to eight part grouse hunting stories and analysis of the “beats” in today’s ubiquitous propaganda. Why tap dance around the obvious? Because y’all already know. You don’t need me beating the bloody spot where a horse once stood.
Also, the moment for despair is not now. Despair is what they want of you. When you’re trudging through the desert it’s a bad time to discuss thirst.
It’s my guess that very soon is when the fever might (or might not) break. No crescendo of a great mass panic grows forever. I for one, am ready for it. It’s been a long time coming.
I wonder how it got here and have dark conclusions. Did it start this March when I naively took “flatten the curve” at face value? Probably not. Did it start in 2017 when a routine swearing in ceremony involved broken windows? Meh, violent losers are always somewhere. Did it start in 2009? Maybe. Did it start in 1933? Possibly.
Is it baked into the cake of the human psyche? Darkly, I think it probable.
I consider that liberty, by definition, is a burden too hard for most humans. Perhaps it is shouldered only in brief moments. Tiny flashes when hearts, minds, lives, and souls flourish. Then, after the brief glimpse if what might be, when mankind has stood up on its hind legs and risen above… it fades. We return from the moon and focus on regulating lightbulbs. It takes a lot of work to feed the world, or build a spacecraft, or maintain a car; any fool with a clipboard can bitch about it… and strangle innovation clear ’till we’re all starving in mud huts. So that’s what they do. Faced with the hard work of building, they tear down that which exists. They’ve created a vast imaginary philosophy where they’re the heroes of the story. It’s bullshit and they know it; but it seems to work for them.
I’ll skip the luxury of further “from whence the madness came” navel gazing. All that’s unquestionable is the current madness is here. It isn’t happening in secret. It didn’t start yesterday. I won’t solve it with a well reasoned discussion of policy. And it hurts.
That’s right… it fuckin’ hurts.
Many of readers, and humbly I count myself in the same crowd, are tough. We can take a punch and will come back off the mat with a plan that makes the instigator wish they’d tried a different victim. It comes naturally. It’s just who we are. Since we can’t be threatened or broken, we get sanded flat. This is why we are forced into isolation. Put up a flag of your own nation, or say the wrong word aloud, scare the squares, and we’re in for a hassle. Why? Because two of us might recognize each other and draw solace. A million of us standing strong cannot be hassled. One at a time we can (and are) ground to a nub.
It would be easier if we each didn’t feel all alone. However, a wise person keeps their own counsel. For the most part we all do just that. I, unwisely, discuss how I’ve evaded as much bullshit as I can. But then again, I don’t even give out the name of my dead and mourned dog.
We all make choices. I could have had compliance and gained the easy path; join the herd and be among the like minded. Instead, I chose freedom and paid for it (in part) with human interaction. I live in a sparse place. I wander the immensity of nowhere and talk with trees. I’ll never get a good Chinese meal delivered to my door. I’ll never get over missing stick shift in my car. I’ll ever be uneasy at any gathering; always scanning the exits.
I keep my eyes on the horizon. Always looking for the smoke of approaching madness. Shifting as needed. Nero is said to have fiddled while Rome burned, I got the fuck out of Panem long before it happened. At this point don’t really care if it burns. Heck, if it did, would I know?
But there’s good news too. Occasionally there’s a ray of light. Someone says something that reminds me I’m not alone and we have a conspiratorial nod. Someone mocks a politician and we all laugh. Babylon Bee makes a joke and Snopes shits itself. Or people who like to hear about bullshit wielding squirrels send me a quick note. There’s always hope.
I’ll take a shout out to freedom from wherever I find it. I cherish every one. So, here’s a big fat beacon of resilience from a rock band that somehow still has balls. Well done fellas. It’s big and loud and not the slightest bit subtle. I hear ya! I don’t know how you manage to exist but I’m glad you do. I needed that!
Hat tip to Ace of Spades.
P.S. There is no part 2 to this post. You’ll have to live that yourselves. You’re welcome.