"Go Get a Job, Slob."

-from the 1970’s parody song, 50 Ways to Whip Inflation* sung by Judy Tenuta

In the 2010 Disney live action film Alice in Wonderland, the character Alice says that her father used to say that one should always try to do three impossible things before breakfast. Alice’s father has passed on by the time she becomes a teenager so we will never know if he changed his mind about that later, but as Alice still believes it, the movie can proceed with her actually trying to live by that goal, making for a more believable story. (maybe) I’d love to see if he would believe that getting a job in 2024 is possible or not. I count it as being damned impossible now for way too many people unless you can survive on gig work. Just two more impossible tasks to go and we would gain her father’s approval if we could pull it off.

On a side note, I must complain about Disney’s decision to prominently showcase Johnny Depp’s (he plays the Mad Hatter) picture on the cover of the DVD package of the above mentioned film and the later released film Alice Through The Looking Glass instead of Mia Wasikowska’s who plays Alice. There is no logical reason for this except to promote the highest money-making draw actor ahead of the actor whom the film is actually about, Alice. Pure capitalism, it is. (Yoda speak reference) & (money speak reference). It is also possible that it speaks of favoritism on the part of Tim Burton (Alice in Wonderland was a Tim Burton film) who has a long standing friendship and work history with Johnny Depp, but I tend to lean on the side of pure money making reasons for it.  That usually tends to overshadow every possible reason for every possible situation. Which brings us back to the issue of why getting a living wage for a life sustaining job is on the impossible things list. And while I cannot be sure of it without doing the research, I would wager a small (because that is all that I can afford) bet that Johnny was paid a salary for his work in the films that was many times higher than Mia’s.

So, why is it so difficult to get a job now? What are the reasons for it? Some people have proffered some very good explanations for it but I tend to feel that it is like Max Von Sydow tells the young priest in The Exorcist when the younger priest tries to tell him the background of the demon possession and how many demons that he estimates there are. He says “There is only one.” It is the “because they can” reason. They can deny you anything that they like regarding employment because there is no such thing as democracy in the workplace. There never has been to my knowledge but it used to be a little easier to ignore that fact if you were able to at least squeak by financially. Since that ability is pretty much gone with the wind now you really cannot ignore it anymore. I very much admire the people who are publicly raising hell about it but it is a fact that there are few of us who are in a position where we can join in the hell raising with them without losing even more of our livelihood than we already have. The risks are too great, and since employers know this and also know that our government representatives do not give one big damn about how bad off we are with few exceptions, this is how things are going to stay. Go ahead and scream your head off about it. No one intends to exorcise this demon. So, this is the second impossible thing that we need to do before breakfast.

I keep waiting to see this idiotic mentality jump up and bite the employers in the ass. It seems only logical that if the people cannot afford to buy what these companies produce or partake of their services, they would see the connection between their business practices and the hits that this has to be making on their bottom line. Maybe they do see it, but rather than rethink how what they are doing is destroying everything they somehow always manage to work around it. Most of the reason for this has to do with the fact that the majority of them have more than one business. A mom and pop business could never survive it but those who have multiple businesses can sacrifice a few of them to strengthen those that are still doing well. They can cut corners, get rid of some employees, give their remaining employees fewer work hours, and raise their prices on everything. They owe their employees nothing. Everyone is told that they must have a job anyway. Any kind of job, whether it pays you enough money to sustain your life or not. You must work, your spouse must work, and your children must work. Here is the third impossible thing that you are up against. You are going to get awfully hungry trying to accomplish all of these tasks before you get to eat. Most of us already realize that we just are not going to get any breakfast.

So now we know why it is virtually impossible to get a job in this country. In case you missed it, it is because the employer class is not being held accountable for not providing jobs that pay a living wage equal to the amount that it actually costs now to sustain life. They create the jobs. They set the prices for their products and services. They hire and fire the employees with no accountability as to whether or not a person will live or die based on their disconnected to reality whims. The ruling class turns a blind eye to their behavior and inhumane practices and our society crumbles as a result. The employer class makes lots of money. The ruling class makes lots of money, and they made sure to set up a system that covers their financial asses for the rest of their lives no matter how bad things get.

So who was Alice’s father really talking to when he said one should try to do at least three impossible things before breakfast? It had to be those people who are secure in the knowledge that they can even afford breakfast. He must have believed that he would live forever and guarantee that his daughter would always be provided for. He was wrong. That being the case, if he actually thought that far ahead, he must have believed that Alice would find herself a wealthy husband who would always make sure that Alice had breakfast. He would have been wrong here too. In the sequel Alice Through the Looking Glass, Alice and her mother nearly lose their asses and all the trimmings, but thanks to the magical thinking of the writers, Alice prevails as the Captain of her own ship and her own company and indeed does do the impossible like her father told to her to. This was even more impossible than anything for a woman in that time period. And she did it all without a husband! So, I don’t know who the hell her father was really meaning that endeavor for but it surely was not for a female in the 18th century unless he already knew that their story was pure fiction. Jump ahead to now, the 21st century, and it all makes sense. Capitalism did indeed manage to do three impossible things before breakfast. They set it up so they would always have the upper hand. They set it up so they would always have money. And they set it up so no one would hold them accountable for their behavior. They managed to do this even as they are an extreme minority in the world considering that the working class in this world outnumbers them by the billions. That is a stunning achievement to have accomplished before breakfast! And to have managed to do at all!

Feeling hungry? Now all we need is for Alice’s father to have a talk with the governments of every country on this planet and tell them that they will not get to eat until they do some “possible” things like turn this situation around and make the world that they live in a place where survival is possible for everyone. They might tell you that this is impossible, but don’t believe it. There are at least 50 ways to eliminate capitalism. That this hasn’t been done before now is a ‘problem that is all inside our heads.' “The answer is easy” if you recognize that you are not the only person on the planet who matters.

*a parody of the song 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover by Paul Simon

Unconditional Love and Acceptance

In the 1970’s, singer Aretha Franklin married actor Glynn Turman. Theirs was a love story like I have never heard of before. Glynn once said in an interview that he came into the marriage with three children and that could have been a major problem for some women to deal with, but Aretha had no qualms about it. She liked the children and they liked her. People can do well in so many seemingly difficult situations if they want to. This family did, and it is a wonderful thing to see when people decide to allow themselves to be their best self in a challenge. They were married a little less than six years, but it ended peaceably and amicably with them still being in love and remaining good friends. We should all be so lucky.

In the 1960’s film To Sir With Love actor Sidney Poitier is a teacher who tells his class that “Marriage is no way of life for the weak, the selfish, or the insecure.” Wow. Truer words were never spoken. Unfortunately, most human beings have one or sometimes all of those character issues. Try telling them to not get married. In fact, many people get married precisely for those reasons because they believe that their partner will accept and allow that kind of behavior because they need them. Many people also believe that their partner will change to suit their needs. Maybe not at first, but certainly after a multitude of battles over it. You can call it stupidity, but it is more likely that they have seen this kind of behavior in married couples all of their life and it looks normal to them. What a shame. These kinds of relationships never end well, and the cycle of ignorance and abuse keeps being passed on to later generations. I don’t know how old Aretha and Glynn were when they got married but they obviously did not bring any of those behaviors into their relationship because they both professed to feeling great joy and happiness toward each other for the entirety of their marriage and even after. The reason for their breakup was due to conflicting career situations such as having to be separated too much of the time. Neither one of them wanted a divorce but having high profile and well-paying careers made it impossible for them to overcome the problem. So dreadfully sad, but at least they understood all of the ramifications and made the decision to separate not in anger but in realizing that their careers were who they were and what they were and neither of them could give up something that was such a large part of their identity. This might be viewed as selfishness to some people, but it truly isn’t. We have all been told that marriage is supposed to be forever but that is not necessarily correct for everyone. Sometimes we have things to do together in this life with others. They may or may not be an experience that has longevity. Some people would say that either Aretha or Glynn should have changed careers but people on the outside looking in are not qualified to judge. They made the correct decision for them and whatever ideals that we may hold as sacred are just that, our ideals.

When a situation in your life can no longer sustain and balance you in a positive way it is time to begin reflecting on what will. Our needs change as we evolve. To assume that everything in your life always has to be to your liking falls into the category of “selfish”. To refuse to understand that change is sometimes inevitable falls into the category of “insecure” many times because one may feel that the situation is their fault, and they may never find love or acceptance again. To not own up to our individual responsibilities in any situation is in the category of “weak.” It cannot be said that Glynn and Aretha were the gold standard of what everyone should strive for in a relationship, but it is worth noting and remembering that they were wise enough and mature enough to know when to let go of something that was no longer sustainable and do so without malice or blame. This is an extremely valuable life lesson for all of us to ponder.

Relationships are a gift for those willing to experience them in positive ways. Trying to mold them into what others believe they should be or what will best suit only one defeats their purpose and can be the cause of great suffering not just for the couple but for others as well. To appreciate what life has given you reveals a high level of maturity on your part. It many times brings you pain along with a blessing, but everything has worth for the balanced soul. Endings are beginnings and beginnings are only possible with the end of your previous experience. Congratulations when you know how to navigate through them both. For Glynn and Aretha, their story gives hope to those of us who may not be in a relationship now but may be open to and hopeful for one that can be worth the risk and worth welcoming, even when the people and the times we are living in seem darn near hopeless unless we can be strong, unselfish, and secure in our own self.

 

One of Aretha’s finest songs.

OMG It Happened

If you have read this blog with any consistency over the past decade you are pretty much aware of my opinions on politics and politicians. It is rare for me to approve of and support any of them. The one exception to that has always been Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. I have always tried not to be an “I love Bernie” gusher about it and a Democratic Socialist flag waver. No one is perfect, but it is true that Bernie speaks the language of the most disenfranchised of Americans who have few voices that speak for them with any consistency. It has taken a lot to bring me to the point where I must speak out with a different tune, but…today is the day. 

I saw Bernie make a speech today regarding “Solar Power for All”. I was with him for the first few minutes, and then he began talking about the cost of going solar, and my own Virgo jumped out from behind Leo and Pisces and had to abandon ship from the Bernie bandwagon. As much as it pains me to go here, it must be done. For the good of the struggling homeowners in America and the good of the average struggling citizen who couldn’t take on another debt if they had to, begging to differ with Bernie today is totally unavoidable.

Before I get into the specifics of my dissent here, let me tell you how I see the situation regarding climate change. I never have been and never will be a climate change denier. I realize that there is much to be done in this country to try to undo all the damage that humans have done that brought us to the dire situation that we are now in.  Virtually all of us are guilty in one way or another when it comes to not being responsible citizens in taking care of our world, but the biggest slackers in this country when it comes to chronic and repeat offenders of destroying the planet are corporations. These are the ones who pollute the water, squander resources, produce products that are not recyclable or biodegradable, manufacture gigantic gas guzzling automobiles, and feel completely unaccountable regarding a change in behavior that might turn many of our problems around. Climate change fault is always thrown back at the average citizen to be dealt with while corporate capitalists pay a bit of lip service to fixing the problems. With all that said, I will now get to the issue that I have with Bernie’s plan to achieve solar power for all.

As far as installing solar panels on our homes, that would be a good thing if it were possible, but it isn’t. Why it isn’t has to do with two things. The first is the cost of doing it. He said that it would cost between 10 and 20 thousand dollars. Most of us couldn’t cough up 10 percent of that now. We can barely keep a roof over our heads and pay for food and other necessities if at all. He said that there would be grants and loans to cover the cost. I think few of us would qualify for a grant, even a partial one. Getting a loan which would add another burden to our cash strapped existence would only make things worse for us, and the piece de resistance of the entire plan was to tell us that it would save us from $50 - $100 per month on our electric bills. HA!  My electric bill is around $300 per month! And I don’t even have electric heat! That isn’t a drop in the bucket when you consider that I would be saddled with another bill to pay for the loan that solar panel installation would cost. The payment would most likely be much more than the savings on my electric bill. It cannot be done, Bernie. No way in heaven or hell. I agree that we are darn near beyond being able to combat the effects of climate change, but this proposed solution is not a solution for the majority of Americans now. The skyrocketing cost of just basic living has made putting anything else on our financial plate a complete impossibility. Even if the government gave us another Covid relief check of $1,200 per person it would not cover it, even for a family of ten!

I, like most people, cannot proffer a blanket solution for the climate change crisis, but if I had to come up with something to help the situation, I would strongly suggest two things. First, stop manufacturing products with single use plastics. Second, stop manufacturing large vehicles and stop buying them. Many families where I live have three or more trucks and SUV’s. Yes, some people will throw tantrums about it but they will throw even bigger tantrums when they cannot buy gasoline for them and find that they cannot tolerate the unbearable summer heat and the desperately cold winters to come. The first step in changing a bad situation must be calling a halt to the behavior that put you there in the first place and these two issues are monumentally guilt-ridden activities. There are drawbacks to going solar in our homes that tend to be glossed over much of the time and one of the biggest is the availability of sunlight on a daily basis. This could be an extreme problem in some parts of the US during the winter months. Heaven help us, Bernie, dependency upon solar energy is very risky when you could find yourself without power during severe weather. Solar energy sounds like a god send on the face of it, but truly what would help right now is to require responsible behavior from those who have acted completely irresponsible for a very long time. When the citizens of this country find themselves in a position that affords them some financial breathing room you might find us deciding that we are able to convert to solar energy on our own, but right now, there is no way. Those who have been the worst offenders in creating climate change are always putting the guilt and burden for fixing the problem on the average citizens, and everyone who loves the corporate fascists is complicit in pointing the finger and passing the buck, although it isn’t a literal buck because they aren’t about to give us any more money to live on.

I still love you, Bernie, and appreciate and admire your efforts for the people, but the ability to just keep ourselves alive is the highest-level priority that exists now. Without that, we could have solar panels installed to high heaven, but it would not matter if we are homeless and starving or dead.

When The Dark Covers the Light

I live in one of the states in America where the solar eclipse was visible today. I decided against watching it by going outside. Many people would probably believe that decision to be ludicrous, but not participating in the event with eclipse glasses or a homemade viewer was not difficult. Following a spiritual path in life will many times put you at odds with how most people view the right or the wrong of a thing. I am used to this. It is easier to manage once you get over the habit of telling others the how and the why your life rolls the way it does and expecting them to give you affirmation.

The phenomenon itself was fascinating to witness as the light became obliterated here. I just stayed inside looking out the window.  At first it was much like a coming storm getting increasingly dark very quickly, but it actually didn’t last long. I can see why people in ancient times were terrified of events like this. I felt sad when the light began to come back. You don’t really have much time to reflect upon the uniqueness of it before it is lost. This could be said about many of life’s experiences that are now gone.

The days leading up to the eclipse found me thinking seriously about things that I have seen and heard which seemed to have a relevance and connection to what was coming. The first thing that came to my mind was a scene in the 1950s film, The Ten Commandments where the people in Egypt had to stay in their homes with their doors and windows shut as God sent a punishment onto the people as a result of their refusal to free the Hebrew slaves there. The firstborn child of every household was going to die unless the entire family stayed at home and painted lamb’s blood over their front door. It was called the Passover, and centuries later, people of the Jewish faith still honor the event as proof of God’s power and proof of his love for those who believe in a higher intelligence. The people who remained in their homes on that night, following God’s instruction, did not receive a letter in the mail or a phone call or a text message warning them to do this. It was something that they just had to know was necessary. When spirit talks, you’d better be listening. That is just how it works. You either heed it or you don’t. You ignore that subtle voice at your own risk. Families were huddled in their homes hearing the screams of the people outside as some were struck dead where they stood, and others had to endure the horror of seeing those that they loved die in front of them. It sounds very much like the stories that we hear coming from Palestine. The Hebrew slaves who didn’t pay attention and believe the message lost loved ones that night as did many Egyptian families. It was similar to the peril that you would be in if you tried to view the eclipse without eye protection. Only a fool would do it. But what would you call the people who knowingly produced and sold eclipse glasses that were substandard and would not protect your eyes? Call them frauds, call them criminals, and call them capitalists.

I also found myself thinking about the Klaus Nomi song, Total Eclipse, prior to today. Klaus paints a dreadful scenario for the people of Earth in that song. It sounds like the eclipse of the Sun is a punishment for us because of the “big shots” in the world who are too full of their own wonderfulness to care about anything other than themselves. Sounds like we all will turn into “French fries” even if we aren’t guilty of the offending behavior. It must be that we are complicit and guilty for not making the “big shots” stop. We are pretty fortunate that it is just a song and not a true prophesy because we don’t seem to have any intention of enforcing a cease-and-desist order on any of the people who are causing nine kinds of hell on this planet right now. The eclipse didn’t kill us today, but selfish, authoritarian, and elitist behavior is. It just isn’t doing it as fast.

It would have been extremely easy for me to ignore the subtle “feeling” that I had today regarding watching the eclipse. It is akin to other subtle feelings and intuitive information that I receive all of the time. It isn’t always as pointed and plain as being told not to leave the house today because a tree will fall on you or a tractor-trailer will run over you. You can ignore it. You want to do something and outwardly you see no reason not to. But spirit does not impress upon you for no reason. You cannot always see that reason immediately but 99% of the time you will come to understand that there was one. The ability to delay gratification and endure some deprivations has saved me from many troubles and catastrophes in life. Sometimes the saving graces were small but more than a few of them have saved my life. I didn’t see today’s eclipse firsthand because of a still, small voice that speaks to me every day of my life, but it was no sacrifice, really. If things had turned out like in Klaus’s song it would not have made a hill of beans difference. I would be dead regardless. But if it was like the Passover, well…I would still be here because I am not the firstborn child in my family but I sure as hell would have lost loved ones if I chose to ignore the warning. I cannot say for sure that I would have been specifically warned that the world was going to end during the eclipse if that was to be our fate. Anything that is finite like that normally comes months or even years prior to the event and is usually told metaphorically. You just have to retain and interpret the information as you go along. And as you go along, you develop the ability to make peace with it.

Someone reminded me recently about the 1962 film Day Of The Triffids where there were meteor showers all over the world and everyone wanted to watch them but those who did were struck blind and eaten by mutated plants if they happened upon one. I have seen all kinds of bizarre predictions online about how the eclipse was going to affect us. Some were pretty near as farfetched as this movie is, but situations that we are experiencing right now on this planet are so horrific that it seems too terrible to be believed. They aren’t easy to ignore and dismiss now. People are being affected by them in ways that we would never have imagined were possible 20 or 30 years ago. There were people panhandling in the parking lot of the grocery store where I shop yesterday. There was a man near the store standing in the middle of the street trying to stop drivers to ask them for money. Not long ago, there was a man playing a violin in the street wearing a sign that said he needed money to buy insulin for his child with diabetes. These are not things that I have ever seen in this town before. To say that the world is going to end now is not too difficult to believe. An eclipse may not be the catalyst for that but war, starvation, a lack of health care, and unemployment are catalysts for ending lives. Thousands of them every single day. Sometimes, you have to give up something to get something. All you really have to give up is greed, selfishness, and the belief that you are always right. It isn’t a subtle voice that incites hatred and violence. It is a dark and thunderous one. And it is fast making the light disappear.

"All it takes is faith and trust." Peter Pan Thinking

I recently read an article on The Nation where the author talks about putting a wealth cap of ten million dollars on the rich. No one could accumulate personal wealth beyond that limit. Any excess wealth would be taxed to fund infrastructure and social programs. I take issue with the idea of social programs because that sounds like we would keep many people in poverty. Social programs are not necessary if everyone has a basic living wage and income. So, I am all for setting a limit on wealth accumulation, but I wonder and worry about what governments would do with the new windfalls of money.

There is legislation in California which proposes to take control of the utility companies and have them assess the level of income for every household in the state and base everyone’s electric charges on how much money they have. Supposedly, the poor will pay less for their electricity and the wealthier people will have added charges on their bills to address wealth inequality. I take great exception to this idea. A basic need of the people should not be turned into a tiered system where some pay more than others. Programs like these invariably lead to a better quality of service for some and shoddy service for others. While it may sound (on the surface) like a great way to get the rich to pay their fair share in the world this is not the way to accomplish that.

The United Kingdom has been experiencing a dire poverty situation within a large proportion of the populace. Scholars there are comparing it with how bad things were in Victorian England. Many people are now suffering from diseases that were pretty common back then such as scurvy and rickets. These diseases are all curable if people have a balanced diet but far too many people now cannot afford to eat properly. They call it “food insecurity” but that is just a prettier way to say that they are starving. How much money would go to eliminating the insecurity of living so many people are experiencing if the ten million dollar wealth cap were to become law in every country? That we have gotten to this point in human evolution where starvation even occurs makes me think that there are so few people on the planet who even give a damn about it that those in power aren’t likely to fix a problem that they don’t even believe exists. It took a lot of ignorance and inattention to get us to this place. When they have billions more dollars in their coffers will they take any notice of the misery and poverty that needs to be addressed or will they decide that what the planet really needs is more of what we have already done to make us look like the envy of the world? The White House has been around for a very long time. How about building a bigger, better, and more palatial one? What good does wealth do us if we can’t show off to everyone? Without a change in the mentality of the people who control the resources in the world you will not see any of our problems eliminated. They will not address anything that is not already a part of their thought processes or part of their experience. What would make them suddenly want to bother with it now?

Unlike the other two situations that I have written about here I did not see that there has been a solution to starvation proffered by the UK government or concerned citizen groups. It is not a problem that is unique to the UK but this is the first time that I have heard anyone liken the problem to a dreadful and deadly time in history. I am sure that hunger and starvation exists in every country on the planet in one form or another but it is an issue that isn’t likely to go away easily because elitism exists in every other country as well. The royal palaces and residences will continue to have lavish meals several times a day as will the houses of government, the well to do, and restaurants without giving a second thought to how much their privilege costs the rest of the world. No matter where you look you will find that societies unchecked operate like this because they believe that they deserve more than others do. We can only change this by not believing and supporting their perceived right to it.

What would be done with all of the new money that governments suddenly had at their disposal if the above proposed solutions to inequality were implemented? Would it be turned into a national healthcare system in America? Would it be used to provide a basic income for everyone in an amount equal to a living wage in the US or the UK or any other country that is seeing a surge in poverty levels? What is a living wage in America? Depending on where you live here it has jumped up to more than one hundred thousand dollars per year. Bear in mind that no one would actually have that much in actual pay after deductions. Would it provide free college or free childcare or affordable housing? Some countries already do but that hasn’t solved the wealth inequality issues that have skyrocketed. Would anyone think to put a cap on how much people will be charged for basic necessities such as food, clothing, transportation, etc.? If they don’t, expect that people would fall right back into poverty in a short period of time even with more equitable wages and income. Without a cap on the ability to raise prices for everything through the roof there is no way that any of these new situations would be sustainable. So, how should the new economic system be set up to prevent a new corruption of society? If you don’t like the new system, can you fight it within the judicial system? If you can, the courts could be bombarded to high heaven for years and maybe even decades. Does the President have the power and authority to say, “This is how it is, people. This is what we are doing so everyone has a fair share and governments can no longer be bought.” Do we have a President who will say enough is enough as far as inequality goes? Have we ever had one like that? Does such a person exist in the world? Is this what is supposed to happen when the second coming of Christ arrives? Is there really going to be one? If it doesn’t happen pretty quickly a great many people will not live to see it. There are people saying that Jesus was too “woke” and Christians need a new leader. If he comes back tomorrow will anybody even pay attention to him if he doesn’t show up with some serious miracles and destroy everything that has corrupted the world? I think not. A great majority of the people would deny that he was Jesus even as he performed a few thousand miracles right in front of them.

So, until the Universe sends us a supreme deity to strike down inequality here, we are totally dependent upon a supreme human someone or someone’s to get the job done. I keep looking and listening for them. While there are many people with good ideas and helpful knowledge in the here and now which could make a tremendous difference in the way things are done it is troubling to know that they are scattered among the masses and not in solidarity in numbers large enough to fix a broken world. The author of the article in The Nation regarding the wealth cap cited two millionaires who believe that they should be taxed more to address wealth inequality, but I suspect that the majority of millionaires and billionaires out there never give a second thought as to how their actions put the entire world in peril and at risk. Actor Jim Carrey once said in an interview that many people give him flack for making and having so much money. His own family fell upon severe hard times when he was a teenager and had to live in a tent on a relative’s property. He obviously has never forgotten where he came from but one has to wonder if he has ever questioned the system that put his family in that situation? In the interview, he wondered aloud what people think that he should do when people in the film industry offer him millions of dollars to be in their films. ‘Should I tell them that I don’t want it?’ he said. Yes, Jim, that would be a good start. Or at least tell them you don’t need it. Because no one needs more than ten million dollars to live well. But it sure does take more than the majority of the people have. They are definitely not living well. And far too many are not going to live to see things get better. If this bothers you, speak out about it and we will pray that your words catch fire with the ones who can change that. Many people know that change must come but we really do need to speak louder and in unison and have some serious, definitive answers on how to make things better. Actions speak a lot louder than faith and trust in existing systems. We had faith that we would never see times like these again but there was no one that we could trust to make sure that it didn’t happen.

And without pixie dust, it ain't gonna fly.

Happy New Year to Me

2024 has started off with a bang in my house. Severe influenza of the debilitating kind is here and is proving to be quite comfortable in its new home and surroundings. It is the unwanted guest who refuses to leave even when you bombard it with the best remedies available, stop all activities that might hinder wellness: purify and humidify the air quality in your home and try very hard not to spread infection to the people who are kind enough to help and support you through the crisis. I’d rather be sewing. I need to alter the length of several pairs of slacks and pajamas that were received as Christmas gifts for family members, recover toss pillows with tee shirts that fit no one but have great graphics on them which will be quite decorative somewhere in the house afterwards but right now they are just piled up on and around my sewing desk with the humidifier and a great many other projects that are not going to get done until I recover. I do try to drag myself out of bed and be as productive as I can when I have a rare burst of energy. Writing this essay is only occurring because of one of those bursts, but mostly I am trying to distract myself from dwelling on the fact that I feel like total hell and will likely feel that way for another week or so by binge watching episodes of Once Upon A Time and any video that I can find with Yanis Varoufakis on YouTube and crying as he reminds me of the likelihood of utter hopelessness of 2024 being a better year for people. I am usually better at playing the “glad game” than this even in the face of dreadful circumstances in the world which seem to never end, but like the illness that I am battling which mutates constantly requiring me to change remedies to address the new symptoms, Yanis reminds me that capitalism and politics never take a break and neither can we in the fight to somehow survive their unwelcome visitations of misery which they never stop throwing upon us with no more thought or regard for the devastation that they are causing than the mindless and thoughtless virus that is attacking me right now.

With the arrival of each new year, I normally get a sense of what is likely to manifest in the world in the next 12 months, but this year feels like a blank slate to me as to how we may fare. There is a scene in the 1934 Three Stooges short called Men in Black where they are doctors visiting a mental patient in the hospital. The patient is a well-spoken and educated fellow who has gone off his rocker.  When they enter his room, he is pacing the floor, speaking like a great orator. One has to wonder what kind of intellectual study he emerged from to wind up like this.

Even Moe can’t help but question his own sanity when he sees the green canary. If we haven’t already seen the “green canary” ourselves by now I don’t think that it is too far off from our fate if we cannot or will not grab the “rats” coming out of the “buttonholes” of human experience pretty soon. They do just keep coming and we are a massively overwhelmed society who has no real knowledge or previous experience as to how to handle it. So, little is being done about it.

I understand that there is a massive rat problem in New York City. No one seems to know how to eliminate a real rat infestation there anymore than people know how to eliminate everything that is destroying humanity in the form of social and economic “rats.” Will 2024 bring with it a new intelligence that can save us from the disease that vermin bring with it? Will we continue to go “off our rockers” under the weight the destruction that we have heaped upon ourselves? That truly is the momentous question. As Moe said, “you (we) ain’t well yet”, and not likely to get well quickly any more than I am going to wake up tomorrow morning symptom free.

As much I appreciate Yanis Varoufakis and others like him in calling out the problems that we are and have been facing for many years, what I would really like to see is a cure for them. As I deal with a newly morphed symptom in my illness every single day, multiple times a day, it requires a great deal of research and a nonstop proactive determination toward wellness on my part or I will just remain miserable and sick for God knows how long. I know that the buck stops with me as to whether or not I get over this. I hope that those who are in a position to bring about wellness to a sick society understand that they will determine the outcome for us with either action or inaction. God help us if they continue the way that they have been up until now. If we are ever going to be well, the remedies for what ails us need to start coming in fast or the debilitated society that we are has no hope for recovery.