UGH

I'm filled with rage.  This is not a comfortable feeling for me ... what do I do with this?  I'm not aggressive, violent or confrontational by nature. But I am so damned angry right now.  So, I'm going to try to 'use my words' as we were apt to tell our toddlers.

I'm so tired of the unfairness of life ... as if anyone ever said it would be fair.  But sometimes, I just cannot deal anymore with the ridiculousness of our nation.  Every.single.thing has to have a label: 'First world, third world, black lives matter, blue lives matter, liberal, neo-con, Bible thumper, atheist, fat, skinny, greedy, lazy, pro life, pro choice, gun toter, pacifist .... ad nauseum.  Some media whiz kid, or spin doctor working for a political group slaps a name on a person, people or movement and we all jump on a side and ride that wave.  We fight and argue and try to seize the moral high ground while grinding our proverbial heels into the 'other guy.'  We glorify the winners in this ugly game.  We worship at the hems of the likes of the Kardashians or the Trumps.  It is sickening.  I can only be amazed anymore when children turn out okay.  There is just so much ugly being heaped on their young lives.

Meanwhile, on social media, the self-aggrandizing attention whores toot their horns and people rush in to 'like' their crazy utterings.  If its not a thinly veiled pity party with a Greek chorus of 'oh what's wrong,' it is a 'look at me having the best life ever' scenario which, loosely translated, is a brag fest.  Come on people.  Neither story is real ... its just another dose of instant gratification.  Whatever happened to being humble?  I mean, its no secret that the squeaky wheel gets the grease but, we have turned increasingly into a nation of squeaking wheels and the noise is just one big cacophony of ego. No one, and I repeat, no one ever puts anything on Facebook without an expectation of a reaction (yes, self included).  We have to ask ourselves this question: "When did we become so damned insecure that a social media site is the arbiter of how we feel about ourselves?"  And, I know there will be people out there who will react by saying its all just fun and/or harmless, etc.  I would counter that at a larger level ... no, its not harmless.  It is setting up generations of young people to think that what nameless, faceless people think about them or their ideas matters.  It doesn't ... unless you are doing something illegal.

So yep, I'm angry ... I'm angry that common decency has left the building.  That thoughtfulness and appreciation for the good and humble people who just try hard every day has been replaced by mindless adulation for the truly greedy, self-serving, sarcastic trolls of the world.  Now that the puppet masters have divided us on every conceivable issue, they are free to pick up the pieces (wealth) of our nation and planet because we are too busy arguing, fussing and fighting.  But guess what?  We all bleed red, we all cry tears, and we are all going to end up the same .... 'Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.'  Maybe its time to look for the humanity and sameness in each other and to quit focusing on the differences.

And, on that note, thank you for indulging me in an uncharacteristic rant.