Despite my best efforts, I’ve been exposed to the miasma of stupid. It’s everywhere and it has kept the witch burners and lemmings in a panic for years now. I don’t know why it’s happening now. Maybe the Baby Boomers are intent on burning it all down before they take a dirt nap. Maybe social media hit a certain level of saturation exactly one generation ago. Maybe Marxist ideas come in cycles. Maybe sinister intentional events set in motion generations ago bear fruit right now.
Or, maybe people are just stupid. It does seem that the transition from informed citizen to livestock on the vote farm has accompanied a reduction in adult rational behavior. It’s hard to say. One thing is for sure… we’re all living through a time of deeply irrational, religiously fervent, stupid assholes who can tear down but not build. It’s clear that people are not thinking rationally. They’re inflicting their madness on people who’d prefer to be left alone. Like earlier cycles of stupid, mad, destructive behavior, sitting quietly on the sidelines is harder and harder to manage.
It’s wearying. It’s not good for the soul. It makes wise, long term planning difficult. Who plants a tree or funds a 401(k) in a society where they’re surrounded by stupid violent people? That’s not a complaint. It’s an observation.
Irrational people are breaking things. They complain that the “other” is a terrorist, or a disease vector, or “bad for the earth”, or racist, or whatever. There’s a purpose to that. They’re working themselves up into evil actions. Once a person believes “others” must be “corrected” (by force if necessary) they can enjoy a righteous frenzy. Make no mistake, they will enjoy it. They seek to unload their hate and bloodlust. They want to experience the ecstasy of hurting “the other”; their society, their fellow citizens, friends, family, and neighbors. Most people would rather destroy than create. It’s the nature of man. It’s only civilization which keeps it at bay. So, they destroy civilization too. When the smoke clears and time passes, if they’re still standing, they’ll try to remember some version of events that makes them blameless, or even heroes. A few will repent, but it will mean nothing to the ashes under their feet.
This isn’t new. This has happened before. There are countless examples of whole societies losing their damn mind, working up to a religious fervor, and running amok. It’s described with words that wouldn’t otherwise be necessary; Karen, genocide, “Jews in the attic”, warlord, woke scold, pogrom, decimate, “witch hunt”, ethnic cleanse, “final solution”, etc… When rational adults cannot maintain civilization, monkeys run rampant where humans once held sway. There’s a righteous joyous release, the panic du jour oppresses many and kills some, economies collapse, learning is paused (and sometimes lost), society grinds to a halt…. and then it’s over. Rebuilding takes decades or longer and while it happens everyone tries to pretend they didn’t play a role in the disaster. They meant well. It was a strange time. You had to be there. They rationalize it whatever way they need.
This is not to give into hopelessness. California is not Rwanda… yet. Nor am I just sitting there waiting for the final curtain. I’m as squared away as a guy can be. I assume you are too.
I also note that this is a planet wide phenomenon and America, as wrecked as it has become, is not on the vanguard. Still, I always thought I’d have options and new geography isn’t looking good. I formerly assumed, in the unlikely event everyone lost their damn minds during my lifetime, I’d just slink off to a unimportant corner; but I see that’s not the case. It’s everywhere; France, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Italy, you name it. There is no safe harbor, only your ship’s ability to ride it out and a captain’s ability to steer.
Stay out of crowds and pay attention. This shit ‘aint over yet. Good luck. I’m rooting for you. As for myself, I’m still trying to stay as far away from the bullshit as humanly possible.
