This is a small point, gossipy and unworthy. But then I am depressed and unable to concentrate on worthy issues, on the big stuff, so….here we are. I often wonder at how people can justify contentment in this world. I often wonder at how people can justify not speaking out, yet alone yelling, at all of the worlds injustices, and by lending their voice, attempt to make things better. Depression, haha, is one reason. But that is temporary. (one hopes!) Despair and dependence and according to one poster at Dkos being …. Tired of all the Drama, are others.(I will not link, I am not trying to specifically call out this commenter. I use him as an example, more than anything personal. He is most likely a good person. But he is obviously a product of his environment. And it is that environment that is the problem…. but you can search if you want, lol) This person wrote a diary that complained, quote…
I love political news, but it’s so damn hard to read All the Drama – Perceived Drama, Feigned Drama, Invented Drama…… Even The Daily Kos recently had a major post about editing the Troll Drama.
Aren’t you folks just a wee bit tired of Everyone’s Drama?
All well and good, I guess. But then this comment struck a nerve. I guess it struck my ‘contentment nerve.’ The nerve that the “Obama’s Got This” people always strike, I guess.
Obama’s doing a great job. America is a strong, instead of fearful, a world leader again. There is a bold plan out there for the future, with a political majority that’ll make it happen.
After all….2 wars, global warming, high unemployment, 3 million foreclosures, homeless and hungry kids and vets, torture, a rapacious financial sector, insurance industry, and MIC, the fact that they own our government, continued discrimination against gays and minorities, and the fact that the gulf between the The Ruling Class and the rest of America gets larger everyday ….what is there to be dramatic about?
It struck the nerve that, much to their discomfort, just makes me want to yell even louder, to rouse ‘them’ from their contentment.
After all, YOU have a job, your house hasn’t been foreclosed, you haven’t lost a kid in the wars, you don’t know anyone who has been tortured, global warming isn’t affecting you, there are no homeless and hungry kids where you live, you have health insurance, you are not a second class gay citizen or minority, and the fact that the Ruling Class is growing obscenely rich off of all that doesn’t affect you at all!
The evil bad man is gone now, and everything is hunky dory, let’s just all go back to sleep! Why worry when the folks in DC have it all under control, we can trust them to solve all of our problems!
After all, they have our best interests at heart, right?
Call it fatigue or apathy or despair or whatever you want. Perhaps it is just a case of limited carrying capacity….
Which is fine.
Until these people start to complain about the …tone… or …whining… or …drama… or …wanting a pony… or …any of the other multitudinous ways that the people who are willing to do nothing but seek personal comfort or dependence….
Dependence begets subservience and venality, suffocates the germ of virtue, and prepares fit tools for the designs of ambition.
Thomas Jefferson
…..on others to do the work of changing the world for them. They are unwilling, for whatever reason to raise their voice in protest….of anything except the tone, whining and drama of those actually protesting the many wrongs and problems of the world.
There attitude, to me seems to be saying …..If everybody would just calm down and trust our government, everything would be fine, Darn troublemakers and agitators! It’s so annoying when people try to change the world into a better place by being all dramatic!
As I say, this is an unworthy post, all I am doing is complaining about people complaining. Yet I have to say, it is these people, the people who are unwilling to Stand the Fuck Up and fight for those less fortunate, but are willing to use the same amount of energy to complain endlessly about those who DO stand up and at least try….that make me despair. Or get angry at the apathy and Yell Louder.
Though in this case, haha, I have to thank this person…for pissing me off! Responding to him has brought me back to life a bit after all the ….drama… that Real Life has provided me with lately.
I will end by reminding this person, and myself, that life IS drama. And pain. And suffering. And occasionally depression and despair. But these are not bitter things to be shunned, they, though bitter, are part of the rich feast of life. And that contentment is something to sought after the feast is over, not while the drama of the feast is laid out before us, offering the risks and rewards of fully experiencing it.
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Life is drama!
not trust very much, that the word DRAMA came from two Greek words and meant essentially “interesting life”. This seems to be the case. If there is drama it is interesting and people will watch.
the bear will eat you;
some days you’ll eat the bear.”
researched and studied about our government, its actions, our country’s history, world affairs. I wonder if they’ve read what I’ve read but somehow get different messages from it. Last night I mentioned the CIA involvement in the instabilities with the Uigher’s in Urumqi, China. I read about that last year and how its tied into the whole central asia/caspian sea geopolitical games being played. Based on that, I am a CTer, a moran, and a troll. I wonder if they read what I read but have chosen to disregard it. Or are they disregarding it because they simply don’t want to believe such a thing.
But, it’s not all about ME. I care about what happens to other people and my country.
you must have a coalition and allies within your own cause? From time to time everyone who is an activist is going to be overwhelmed by the enormity of what needs to change compared to the pace at which they can be changed.
There are times when, if you are going to be in this for the long haul, you have to pull back. Play with the pups in the yard, drink a quite beer with the neighbor you know votes against your positions and only talk about the local high schools chances at winning State.
If you don’t have the ability to disengage from time to time, you burn out. You become a caricature of an activist. I think this is what is infection a lot of the activist community. We spent 2 whole years on an election. Then the problems were so immediate we have to dig in. Then many of us found our number one priorities lower on the official score board. Then there are the inevitable set backs on all kinds of issues.
Add to that the real world problems of the economy which most of us don’t discuss on the personal level, but that do effect our ability to absorb new events and you can see how some of our newer folks are ready to scream “Stop the world! I want to get off!”
We just need to give them some space to recharge. We will still be at the fight when they are ready to come back, and then for some of us it will be time to recharge.
No point in comparing anyone’s relative stamina in this area, it changes all the time and there is no “right” level, as frustrating as that is to those of us who engage more rather than less most of the time.
Boring. Have a better day, I have to go back to work and take care of some of the drama that has been created by our health care system.
doing anything.
Like smoking dope was in the 70s.
Blogging = Dope.
Drama is necessary, it keeps your creative juices flowing. What’s not to like about drama?
People who complain about too much drama don’t want to be bothered with reality. They are really fearful people, don’t like changes and don’t like life very much. Don’t like confrontation with the ills of the world as long as those ill don’t come knocking on their door then they scream and create drama for us to pay attention to. Selfish,really!
I have failed everyone dear to me because of one thing that blew up into a felony accusation, then was finally resolved as a disorderly conduct misdemeanor, and only court costs. I did not even have a fine to pay.
But I lost my very lucrative employment, and have been unable to support my family except for tapping out retirement funds. Those come with a high cost.
No one wants to hire me, because of the nature of the false accusation. Being innocent is not enough. Never being accused is the standard.
Yes, I am depressed. Forcing myself out of the bed before noon is a challenge that I can not often meet. I eat too little, and smoke and drink too much. Mrs. Translator is at her wit’s end with me. I do not know what to do, since I do not have life insurance any more, so even killing myself would just cost the family more money.
I an trapped between life and mere existence, and I do not like that universe. I have a lot to contribute, as a professional scientist, but never get any bites for consulting work. The universe is indeed turning black for me as the sources of energy wink out, one by one.
Warmest regards,
Doc
thank you Buhdy.
“with Zen everyday is a good day, with out Zen even good days are bad days.”
some rambling thoughts-
I’m content to live a simple life- but I’ll never be content when it comes to wanting to see justice or basic fairness for the poor, the needy, the outcast.
Being a flawed human with a ‘radical christian’ p.o.v I ‘attempt’ to have a deep patient compassion in trying to understand our personal and collective fears, manias, and pathologies. I fail everyday- but i strive towards compassion and hope to be compassionate in the simplicity of the moment or in the complexity of the situation. My biggest goal in life is to be compassionate in actuality.
But it does get so tiring and frustrating trying to be understanding of the beast that breeds conflict, violence, the problems of social inequality. That is why I constantly need to be refreshed by deep meditative silence. And I can return to ‘yelling louder’ and
believing in the possibility of goodness, and to be open to trickster surprises of life-( I am glad to be have my expectations and conceived notions constantly undermined!)… and I like to think as bad as things are- it would be worse with out the effort of people like buhdy or people trying to light a candle in the darkness.
Carl Jung
oh and one more Jung quote “Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.”
Lastly, when I’m feeling like giving up- I find solace in works of the mythical imagination- not as an escape but as a source in the stories to find the courage to journey on even when things seem bleak. Like Frodo Baggins as he walked the wastelands towards Mordor- not being sure of success he continued on, because he had to. I find archetypes helpful- anyways, life sure is interesting in its multi flavored dimensions! {end rambling here}
1978 movie FM today. About a radio station. Great soundtrack of the times. I like the trying to stay true to your vision story line.
Might be an out of place comment, but the music you provided reminded me. Music is a soother.