It’s a gut-level revulsion. It stirs hatred and frustration in me. It has me wondering if we’ll be around long enough to see movement away from such tendencies.

When I read that Ukraine is being pounded in an unfair fight, that Russia is sending fighter jets into NATO territory, or when I read of horrendous conditions and brutality in Sudan—not to mention all that’s happening here at home—I feel like things aren’t moving fast enough, that we haven’t learned anything, that we are no different than the warring, unenlightened factions in history books.

Dominating and conquering are still things, apparently.

Sadly, it appears there will always be a supply of “leaders” who are slaves to the past, with chips on their shoulders and twisted visions and god complexes, people who have no regard for individual rights or autonomy or self-determination, who regard fellow humans as impediments, as property or incidental or expendable, just pieces in some ongoing, unsanctioned chess match.

It galls me to think that someone else believes they have the right to take life away, to dictate terms, to make life miserable while they exist in their bubbles of protection and luxury, isolated from the suffering, and indifferent to it. There must be a special place in hell for such animals– the ones who gave up, who in the most extravagant and hateful of ways were and are just plain selfish. And lazy.

Daily writing prompt

Which topics would you like to be more informed about?

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Music theory, particularly as this applies to piano and guitar; vocabulary enrichment, if that’s even a thing; creative writing; how to be a better conversationalist; astronomy; political science; gardening; woodworking and carpentry; cooking and meal planning; first aid; developing a decent golf swing; how to avoid or at least keep diabetes at bay; and how to make a good coffee/espresso drink.

Guess I better pick two or three and get busy.

So, next is Kimmel. Can’t say as I’m surprised. A similar set of circumstances to Colbert—Jimmy says something that paints the Trump administration in a less-then-flattering light, there’s some sort of merger/acquisition at stake, and voila! Another attempt at silencing dissent.

People on the Right who claim the importance of free speech need to take a closer look at the concept. Is it sacrosanct or not? Is it free speech for all, without caveats, or not?

I happened to catch a YouTube post from Adam Kinzinger the other day, on the topic of civil war and those who see it as inevitable and are blithely wishing that hell upon us all. It was his opinion, of course, but I found it worth considering.

Basically, Kinzinger said that some, maybe many civil war proponents and prophets of doom are just needy loners searching for meaning. There’s probably some truth in this, since few people possessing a healthy amount of emotional stability would advocate for civil war, would want to tear down an earnest attempt at democratic governance, along with all that has taken decades and centuries to build up—from basic infrastructure to healthcare and medicinal advances and the numerous means of communication. Lifestyles and amenities have changed a bit since the 1860s.

Civil war would mean the disruption or disappearance of pretty much everything that we’ve come to take for granted. Few would be prepared for the depravity and hardship. In fairly short order, life would become unbearable and harsh. Kinzinger basically issued a warning: be careful what you wish for, because these hardline civil war zealots have no idea what they’re talking about.

They may have their stockpiles of MREs and weapons, but they’ve spent way too much of their lives trying to justify their paranoia, feeding their irrational hatred– preparing for the worst, while all along they could have been part of ongoing efforts to make things better.

Daily writing prompt

What’s your favorite word?

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It wasn’t always a word. It began as an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation.

Laser.

That’s my favorite word, for now.

Daily writing prompt

Share a lesson you wish you had learned earlier in life.

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I wish I had somehow absorbed a more robust understanding of things financial, in terms of disciplined saving and savvy investing.

Backing up even further, I wish I had a clearer sense for the path I wanted my life to take, from a vocational standpoint. I could have more intently focused my energies in college, actually gone to college with a clearer sense for what I needed to be doing and studying, maybe even finding something I was actually passionate about.

My life has been akin to Forrest Gump’s, without all the serendipity– unfocused, aimlessly floating like a feather.