Morning Brain: Well, Here We Go

Recently, I ran across an article on satirical news site The Onion which attempted to express that feeling where something suddenly becomes inevitable, and you have to steel your nerves to deal with it.

Here are things I've had to steel my nerves against lately:

• The alarming number of police shootings reported in the media on a near-weekly basis.
• The fact that the nation's largest police union has endorsed an orange bigot for president.
• An unprecedented die-off of trees and coral, both tied to human progress, and the lack of giving-a-shit by pretty much everyone.
• The remainder of the election cycle looming. I'm not that old, but I have never seen anything this vitriolic come out of this nation.

On the other hand, here are a few things that helped me unclench slightly:

• Famous people finally speaking out against injustices in venues in which they know they will be heard.
• The deep, gutteral laughter caused by a friend's comedic timing during an otherwise serious discussion.
• The Free Hugs movement and the growing level at which people are treating each other as human beings at an individual level.
• The undeniable fact that for every terrible thing we see, there are as many other things worth celebrating, from exciting space discoveries to the simplicity of a beautiful view of the sunrise. 

How do we fix the world's problems? By showing each other our love and vulnerability, and by helping each person we meet have a better day.

It's hard, especially in a culture where we are bombarded by negativity. I, for one, am trying. I don't have a lot to offer, but I can be polite on the bus or compliment a stranger I pass on my way to get grocieries. What I need to work on is getting out of my comfort zone a little more, and maybe volunteering my time somewhere meaningful. This has been a little bit rambling, but thanks for reading.

Things which could escalate quickly

I haven't posted in a very long time. Life is good. Rowing is good. Knitting is good. Videogames are good. Little black kitty is adorable. Weather is getting nice. Right. So.

According to the news this morning, here's what is going to escalate and be the most important piece of news forever:

• A gorilla grabbed a kid and was killed for his efforts. Everyone picks a side and we enter world war animal rights.
• Missing aircraft will start a blame game and all countries involved will nuke each other into oblivion, thus thrusting us into nuclear winter.
• Zika virus evolves to somehow infect all the women and make all our babies die forever. Children of Men is hailed as an apocalyptic prophesy.
• Allergy Season is upon us here in the PNW, and shall destroy us all.

According to me:
Donald T. Rump, serial liar, financial crazy person, and petulant orange child, ekes out a victory over whatever democrat claws its way to the nomination. He immediately declares "the media" illegal and rescinds protections for free speech. He makes abortion illegal, guns mandatory, and immigration impossible. All non-white people currently living in the country are mysteriously disappeared. Plots to assassinate him fail, because the great orange one is imbued with almost otherworldly spry-ness and longevity.

The only question on my mind is whether or not the nation comes to its senses. Do we have more reasonable people than we have die hard party voters? Does anyone else think Trump's sudden appeal to veterans is a ploy to get the military on his side for the coming purge? Everyone keeps telling me "oh, presidents don't have that much power," and that is perfectly true in normal circumstances. But this nation is poised to shit the bed in a big way with this guy.

Patton Oswalt made jokes about GWB and his ability to usher in the bibilcal apocalypse. While I don't belive in sword-mouth-Jesus or the 7-headed-beasties, I do think we're at a critical ethical juncture that could shape the population of this country.

Unfortunately, the echo chamber of the Internet means no one whose mind could be changed will ever read any of this.