When I am asked how I’m doing, or how my day is going, by a grocery store check-out person, or some random person I meet while walking along the sidewalk, my stock answer used to be “Not too bad,” or “It’s going.” I decided a few years ago that this was an unnecessarily negative response to the question, because there are relatively few days in my life when I am not having a pretty good day. Some are better than others, of course, but the fact that I have a home to live in that is warm in winter and cool in summer, the fact that I virtually never wonder whether I’m going to get to eat a given meal (and it’s never because I can’t afford it, but because I’m busy or something), the fact that I have reliable transportation, indoor plumbing, and woke up on this side of the topsoil today means I’m having a relatively good day, no matter what else might happen. So most of the time, when asked how it’s going, I typically respond with, “I have no complaints today.”
Sure, there are snags in my road, as there are in anyone’s. Things happen, things over which I have no control and couldn’t have seen coming. But, for heaven’s sake, I’m retired, and I haven’t had to move out of my home yet. I’m by no means rich, but I have what I need to live on, and my life is good. What do I really have to complain about?
Well, I confess there are things, most notably, political things. I believe it would be fair to say that the most disparaging things I’ve said (or thought) in the last fifteen years or more have mostly been concerning (a) the rampant injustice that seems baked into our nation’s systems and laws (not to mention global injustice), or (b) American politics or politicians, and the incredibly infuriating things politicians do and say.
I recently saw an old clip from a comedy bit by the late George Carlin in which he said that he doesn’t have a beef with politicians. The fact is that these people were elected by us, and therefore, the problem is us–the politicians we have are apparently the best we can do.
As strong as the temptation is to name names, to quote some of the inane things that politicians say, and to mock some of these yahoos mercilessly, the truth is that George is pretty much right. (If you’re old enough, you might remember a quote from a newspaper comic strip called Pogo–“We have met the enemy and he is us.”)
I gotta stop right here, because I’m about to go ahead and name some names.
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(Posted in response to 1/30/2024 prompt.)
doug heacock: words 