On The Downslope

That is—I am rapidly sliding downhill. What are my options? Digging in? Do I try to set my heels against the momentum? Try to recapture some of my wasted youth?

How about I wax philosophical on how not to live your life by examining mine. That would be most depressing. I can only tell you what didn’t work for me. Obviously I can’t tell you what to actually do. I didn’t do it.

There was an old saying in my youth that went something like: Don’t do what I do; do what I tell you to do. It would be said by a parent or significant elder, basically telling you that although they were flawed and did things wrongly, they knew what you should do—you should listen to them. As that has gone on for generations, I’m not sure how effective that approach was. Actually, I am—it was not effective.

If I had my life to live over again, would I do things differently? I would like to hope so. But there is no guarantee. What a waste it would be were I just to remake the same mistakes. Isn’t that what reincarnation is for? To perfect lost lives until perfect. Not sure that’s working for mankind, either.

Although we have made strides again and again in the external world of things medical, mechanical and electronical (made that one up), we, as a human race are declining mentally, socially and educationally. The gap between the haves and the have-nots is growing exponentially. And that is not just financially. I am certain there are fewer geniuses out there and most probably a disproportionate share of them are not using their powers for the common good.

You can say that the bad things in the news aren’t any worse, we are just hearing about them more often and faster. You can also say that the weather is no worse than ever, just that we are better informed.

But I have lived in eight decades in this world of ours, and although there are some wonderfully good people out there and I know quite a few of them, there is more evil than there was and it is spreading far more easily than it ever did before. Our genes and Mother-Nature have not been entirely kind.

So It looks as if my slippery slope is awash with muck and mire, much as our tortured earth after one of our new mega-storms and much as our political system which allows the haves to rise out of the muck and mire by trodding upon the have-nots. So what will I do about my rapid descent?

Think I’ll sit here and play in the mud for a while longer. If things get too bad, I can just go to sleep…

            …or struggle as Sisyphus against that boulder, eternally…

            …or maybe just stop thinking so much and go and do the dishes, maybe work on my manuscript.

Haven’t really solved the world’s problem, have I? Didn’t intend to, just wanted to vent a little.