We're coming to the end of the season marked by holiday "cheer." Soon, children will return to school and, those WITH jobs (lucky enough to have taken a few days off around the holidays) will return to the daily grind. Was this a cheery time of year for you?
In all honesty, I haven't felt very cheery. I find it difficult to put up that facade with so much ugliness in the world. Too many US troops are forced away from their loved ones. Too many families in places like Iraq and Afghanistan have been torn apart by the vestiges of war.
Here, at home, homelessness is on the increase and, during this rough winter season, many die while trying to keep warm. More Americans are on food stamps than ever before; they can't feed their families. The rate of home foreclosures seems to rise quarter after quarter. And, of course, the unemployment rate (however it is calculated) is far too high.
Despite these endemic problems, we Americans are far better off than many of our brethren throughout the world. Unlike far too many people, most of us don't go to bed hungry, we have a stable roof over our heads and we can utilize some form of health care, inadequate as it may be, to ward off sickness.
If a person can avert their eyes from these types of problems and more, then I guess being cheery ain't so difficult. I will admit that I'm not very good at averting my eyes!
In all honesty, I haven't felt very cheery. I find it difficult to put up that facade with so much ugliness in the world. Too many US troops are forced away from their loved ones. Too many families in places like Iraq and Afghanistan have been torn apart by the vestiges of war.
Here, at home, homelessness is on the increase and, during this rough winter season, many die while trying to keep warm. More Americans are on food stamps than ever before; they can't feed their families. The rate of home foreclosures seems to rise quarter after quarter. And, of course, the unemployment rate (however it is calculated) is far too high.
Despite these endemic problems, we Americans are far better off than many of our brethren throughout the world. Unlike far too many people, most of us don't go to bed hungry, we have a stable roof over our heads and we can utilize some form of health care, inadequate as it may be, to ward off sickness.
If a person can avert their eyes from these types of problems and more, then I guess being cheery ain't so difficult. I will admit that I'm not very good at averting my eyes!
The only way to observe society and be cheery is to be a drunk in the audience.
ReplyDeletePleasure for me seems to be outside of society.
Is the following an excuse or wisdom indeed? I never can quite put it into words:
"It is those who attempt to shape the world who make such a mess of it. My choice then is to not attempt to fix the world, lead by example in doing this, and just wait for nature to correct the balance (as she does so well). Interference no matter how well intended always, no exception to date, messes things up more."
An excuse to celebrate. We shouldn't need one, but they tell us we must have one, and so they give us some.
ReplyDeleteAnd so we can celebrate.
Get drunk, if that is your preference. Eat holiday food, if you would prefer that. If you want to spend time with your family, do that as well.
You have been given an excuse to enjoy life. So enjoy life.