Wednesday, October 24, 2007

late autumn

i am not certain where this picture was taken but the caption near it said 'fingerlakes region'- and that's where i am in upstate new york. this is pretty much what it looks like from now on out- gray and bare- until next spring. there are a few trees making a feeble attempt this year at a lovely foliage display but most are just giving up the ghost. and it is raining. i am not complaining by a long shot. not one bit. it just affects my mood. so i am having extra coffee and trying to stay out of my own head- to no avail. i keep telling myself to center. focus. breathe. i tend to be high strung and a bit moody at times- it's a personality thing i have wrestled with and been aware of since i was a teen aged girl with bad hair and braces- now i have neither but i am left with the aforementioned traits. so, because of this affliction, i try to keep my emotions corralled because otherwise, i would be overwhelmed by them. i feel them- but tempered so i don't shut down completely. yes, tmi (too much information TUA :) but i wanted to explain because it is harder for me to temper these days and it has been somewhat of a struggle for me. why?

i think it is because there's just so much 'life stuff' going on and i tend to be one of those folks who feel other folks' pains. not so much take it on but that intuitive empathy thing. so- we have the whole world situation and bloggers dropping like flies and so much hurt and pain among people i have come to know on certain levels- not to mention my mum's state of health. it's a lot. so- i am having a moment. and then i wonder- 'should i walk away?' and of course, i tell myself no. there was a bit of discussion at spadoman's last week and enigma's a few weeks ago and i found myself thinking about blogging and what it means in this age of corporatocracy. and i can't quit. i can only tell you my personal opinion and leave it at that.

my own thought is- we have a crisis in this country on a level never seen before- we are a young country and although we have been through civil war, what we are about to face is different. we are not just fighting for our country- but our planet. so- no i don't think blogging by itself is the answer to our problems. i think it is a piece of the puzzle and every piece matters. there is strength in numbers as enigma points out and each person plays a role- as i said at spadoman's blog. we are a support network and we keep the lines of discourse, debate and dissemination of facts going. we are the supply network for the organizations and people out there doing the actual groundwork. we are the bane of propagandists everywhere. why do you think burma shut down the internet? why do you think china limits access? it is one of the last outposts of unfettered free speech. my other personal thought is- we don't have the luxury of burnout and fatigue. we are at war. we are really battling terrorists and this is the 'war on terror' but the enemy looks like us. we have to keep fighting and that doesn't mean you have to keep blogging- but you have to keep fighting. do what you can in your own life and community to plant the seeds of dissent and the seeds of democracy. the ripple effect.

anyhoo- i was sitting in my comfy chair with the second cuppa listening to my cat snore- she likes the back of the chair to snooze on- and i thought about the transient nature of life. how fleeting and short it really is in the grander scheme of things. feeling the pain and loss is just as important as feeling the happy times and joy. it is what makes us human. being greedy and only wanting to feel the happy all of the time is what makes us american. we can work towards becoming whole people again but not at the expense of making other people only feel the pain and the loss. so- in my ramble, feel what you feel, but don't let it overcome you. keep fighting for truth and freedom- the real kind- and don't give up. we need to support each other and keep the lines of true communication open. it is our destiny and it will be crucial to pass the torch on.

6 comments:

Anne said...

like you, i feel the pain of others around me. and boy howdy, there's plenty of that to go around these days. sometimes it makes me want to shut down, and go crawl in a hole somewhere. but i won't, because what's happening to this planet right now is worth fighting for. and i'm not backing down. ever.

Unknown said...

keep fighting the good fight :)

Chuck said...

For me, the only reason I keep on keepin' on, is my children & grandchildren. bush has f*cked up everything enough that it can't be straightened out in my lifetime. And he's done it all in seven short years...there are a handful of proud assholes somewhere.

WORD VERIFICATION: ilsjidjj

fjb said...

Sometimes it's hard to see, and sometimes you have to search hard for it, but there is a ray of light. I've noticed a huge change in the last five years, and believe me, there was a time when I felt humanity had chosen on mass to shut down all emotions but anger and hate. As I've mentioned before, having a different point of view back in '01 on the internet was a dangerous position, and boy did I pay.

There's more caring and awareness, and conscientious people are beginning to stand and be counted, not just in our small corners of the world, but everywhere. Don't let the changing seasons get you down, it just means Spring is coming.

The Future Was Yesterday said...

"because it is harder for me to temper these days and it has been somewhat of a struggle for me. why?"
Um...possibly because you're fed up, pissed off, and ready to cut somebody's.....head off, perhaps?

"then i wonder- 'should i walk away?'"
If you think that'll help make any of your concerns happen faster.

"Most of the things we are trying to make happen, will happen in the next generation at the earliest."

Think of it as a Grad course in Serenity and Patience at the same time.:)

billie said...

"Think of it as a Grad course in Serenity and Patience at the same time."

fantastic. now i have to work on my degree in humanity. :) never wanted my masters. :)