Is it just me, or do others have a great sense of foreboding for the fate of the world and humanity? I wonder do people realise what is going to hit us all in the next few months because of the wars our governments have gotten us into, or at the very least been complicit in. I don't remember getting a vote about running cover for Israel as they genocide Palestinians or that we should support the attacks on Iran. But, here we are, in a world where this is apparently what we are doing now. I didn't sign up for this. To put it mildly, I am very upset. I have already gone through four stages of grief trying to deal with it in my mind. The fifth stage is acceptance: something that will never happen. But what can I do to change it? As with most people, absolutely nothing. The Gaza Flotilla tried, but they were treated like a bunch of crazies, made fun of for being tortured and abused and their bravery was forgotten about very quickly. I have stopped voting but that means the people who still do get more of a chance to get their false idols elected. It seems the whole system is terminally broken and until more of us reach that conclusion, we are in for a very rocky road ahead.
Boiling frogs
I remember before COVID hit the Western world, I could see it like a freight train bearing down on us. I am not what you would call a prepper, but I had a bad feeling as I followed it's progression in China. I began stocking the top shelves with dry foodstuffs, medical supplies, all the things I thought necessary, just in case. Making sure I had cash, fuel in my car and lots of toilet paper. Luckily, things were not as bad as they advertised in the end and it all turned out to be just a lab leak which got evolved away. But I did feel empowered that I was correct about shit hitting the fan and luckily I didn't have to deal with the crowds, as everyone else came face to face with lockdowns. This time I am more convinced. The wars are going to get an awful lot worse before they get any better and unless you are fronting the market with insider knowledge about what the idiots are planning, your life will be turned upside down. Be that, someone living in a penthouse or someone living in a grass hut. I'm sorry I have to break this to you. But, I feel I need to warn someone, even if it is just for the sake of getting it out of my own head. I get a feeling that this time our great leaders know how bad it will be and just don't want to start a panic by addressing it. 'Everything will be fine.' Is what I feel they are saying. They know the tsunami is coming but are just preparing themselves and making sure they and their loved ones will have a lifeboat. We are on our own.
I didn't want this post to be a Debby Downer because I know most people, including myself, use Hive as a way to escape the real world. But, I see the concerns I have are common everywhere, with people working harder than ever to survive. Everything goes up except our standard of living. Surely, with all this new technology, we should be living better but no. The technology is only used to create more and more inventive ways to control people and make their lives worse. It seems that society is failing on so many levels and the systems we have in place to protect us are the greatest tools for our downfall. Democracy is great and all in theory but it can leave 49% controlled by the 51%. Now just imagine if those 51% are batshit crazy or, scarier still, filled with delusion.
As some of my readers may know, I am a single parent of a son, after the death of my wife. At 11, he is still young but I have always subjected him to honesty. I don't want him to find out later in life that I lied to him. I protect him as best I can from knowing the details of what is going on but he hears the news and then asks dreaded questions. I am not going to tell him fairy tales or try to paint a happy image. He knows what is going on in the world and he even asked me to go protest the Emperor's visit to Ireland this weekend. What's the point. I protested every US war and still every Irish government allows them to use Shannon Airport as a military base.
It is a difficult thing to deal with. I want to teach my son to be a kind and good person but when he sees adults elect evil people to be our moral compass what hope do I have? How can I compete with this world-scale contradiction?
Generational embarrassment
Let me just talk about Ireland for a second. Historically, we have been through a lot of crap. Invaders looked on us as an easy target. Some we assimilated; others we fought for centuries and finally got our independence. In our souls, we understand resistance and are with the underdog in most conflicts. But now we are part of the Empire and sold out our soul for money. We have a go-along-to-get-along attitude that defines most of the collective West. At least we aren't the ones getting attacked... at the moment. Let's keep our heads down and maybe nobody will notice us. Say the right things and hopefully we will weather this storm. Spoiler alert: we won't. The world is so connected now that once the biggest domino falls, we will all be following.
Maybe, that is the plan.
I think these are very common feeling, from ever human around the world. We all feel stuck, having abdicated our humanity to politics. I hope you didn't expect me to come up with any solutions; I have none. I hope you're not disappointed. Just know that you are not alone and you're not mad.
No answers, but some ways to cope.
I will leave you with one piece of positivity. Although I feel things are going to get worse, part of me still hopes for the future. Obviously, we are never going to be able to vote our way out of this mess. That whole system is broken and has become like a choice between Coca-Cola and Pepsi, even though none of us like Coke. But I think that things will get so bad there will be a time for a blank slate and a new system can emerge from the ashes that has learned the lessons and that my son will be able to enjoy and thrive in it. Sometimes things need to be destroyed for new things to be created.
There is an old Irish story of someone looking for directions in the countryside. They see a old farmer standing in a field and ask him, 'How do I get to Dublin?' The farmer replies, 'Well, I wouldn't start from here'.
If that little glint of positivity doesn't work for you, I recently saw this interview of George Carlin and I have to say it gave me a whole other way to cope. Maybe I'll try this till we hit rock bottom. My son is my world now. I have some control with him and I will do everything I can to give him the best life I can in this crazy world.
The images accompanying this post are from a recent sand sculpture I made at a music festival. I will make another post about it someday.
Don't forget, stock up on toilet roll!