Whatever

 

 

As I migrate further into age I transition my wants and likes turn to simple needs. I don’t know if everyone does this or if, with age, the wants and likes grow, as there is more time to indulge. 

Are there enough socks in the sock drawer? How full is the closet? How many shoes can you wear out? Have you worn that hat in the past year?

Have you been to Africa? Have you ever wanted to go to Africa? What about Antarctica? Are you ready for that cold? You might need more socks.

After some time, the fancy car or the snazzy suit or the latest gizmo doesn’t seem quite as necessary as before. Are we losing our egocentric cultural impression to woe our peers until it fades away with the next cultural necessity?

Whether it is wisdom or realization that there are many things you have no control over…. So why get stressed about it?

If you missed the last episode of the popular television drama, can you avoid the conversation around the water cooler without being shamed? In another week it will all be forgotten. Did you catch that latest hip phrase or don’t understand the reference to the latest best seller or the most unforgettable movie remake? Are you wearing last year’s fashion?

Have you upgraded your electronic gadgets? Have you played the latest game? Is this the latest game?

I try to keep up with the news. I listen if any of the bad things reference to me. Was there a wreck in my neighborhood? Did I hear any gunshots while rocking on my porch? Are their any fights at the grocery?

That may seem to be a very simplistic view of the world, but I don’t need to be entertained by television. I’ve seen plenty of movies. I’ve read some very good books and passed them on for others to enjoy. I’ve met some famous people and found them bland. I’ve heard some of the legends while they were almost in their prime. I’ve explored adventures (inside and outside) and survived the experiences. I’ve partaken of the high life but do not appreciate the cost.

I’ve lived through many presidents with parades and speeches and other than voting…I have no control over. I have written letters and even visited congressional offices to state a case that was ignored. I’ve paid my taxes without having any say for where I wanted that money to go.

So the society changes and we all adapt the best we can and then it changes again. Is there a desire for a tattoo? What about buying a tee shirt to show a message or a company brand? Should I join the shouting parade to change a movement? Should I starve to save the farmer in drought or the manufacture of dead animals or kill the climate with the diesel smoking trucks bring us our daily bread? Who needs an atmosphere?

We (earthlings) seem to have good thoughts but bad habits. Some have grown accustomed to running water from the tap, light at a flick of a switch, abundance of snack food and Wi-Fi. Others try to scratch an existence from filthy water, shanty shelter, no education, no healthcare, and no gun control causing constant migration searching for a better land.

My hopes and dreams and prayers won’t change reality, so I have to back off for my own sanity and not worry about it. Even the occasional pain or creak or bump or bruise or ache will increase as long as I can logically understand what is happening around me, is just part of the world I cannot control. There isn’t a shot or a pill for old age (at least yet?) and I probably couldn’t take it anyway.

So when I wake up and rub my eyes and turn on the computer to check the daily news and see what our culture presents via media, how do I react?