Is it me ?

Is it me or does the whole world feel crazy ? There were always a few countries that were questionable, run by dictatorships or off the list of tourism, but if you think of it- there’s a real turn of a switch here.

Now Central and South America feel safer than Asia, parts of Europe, which are falling apart and of course, the number one part of the world that has continuously topped the list for decades, predominant areas in the Middle East, where many countries are in total chaos.
And now, some of our most relied upon allies have garnished a wave of mistrust.
I remember going to Europe in the 70’s.  The U.S. was a power house then, the land of opportunity & the one nation, where people desperately wanted to come, live and make a new life for themselves.

If given a choice today, they might now prefer another country. Perhaps Germany, who has been footing the bill for the failing countries of the EU.  But they can’t bail out everyone. Perhaps if people have already immigrated to the U.S., they are re-thinking their decision.

There are no jobs. Our economy is bad,  there is disrespect and out of control kids and adults acting inappropriately.  It’s often hard to differentiate the behavior of the adults and their kids. I often heard the phrase, the apple doesn’t fall from the tree, when I was young. I’m sure many of the misbehaving are hoping for YouTube fame, thanks to reality tv,  the new all-American, intellectual past-time. What happened to books, imagination or playing outside ?

We eye the majority of politicians with grave suspicion and then of course, abhor any party willing to go to the despicable lengths of destroying the other. But 30 or 40 years ago, when this country was thriving and Washington still got things done and disparity between the parties had less distance and there was respect, despite alternative views,  no one would mess with an American. We commanded dignity by the mere status of who we were and what we stood for. A powerful, thriving nation. And we got it.
Somehow the veil’s been lifted and the mystique has gone. From everything. Maybe not revealing all our secrets was better. Maybe when we had a bit more respect for people in high positions or law makers we thought would protect us and mostly did, maybe when we had politicians who worked for us instead of their own agenda, maybe when we had loyalty, maybe when we knew our neighbor, maybe when we were more of a community and families lived close.  Somehow when all of this dismantled and we were exposed, everything changed.
Is it possible that after a few decades of technology, our brains have moved too far ahead of our emotions ?  Could it be that too much of anything can be seen and immediately, in current time. Once released, there is no eraser. The subject matter or voice can never be deleted.

There are definite advantages to technology, but the abuse, threatening and sometimes defaming information, along with non erasable images, are none of them. Why are we seeing so much unsettling behavior of youth and adults.  Adults who should be setting an example, not making one of themselves. There used to be role models, but I rarely see or hear mention of any today.

They’re not extolled on the daily news. We just get more of the same. Wars, murders, violence, crooked law makers and officials and so on. When was the last time you saw a great human interest story, a feel good piece of someone who did good ?  It always seems to end badly.  The big problem with this is that we have become desensitized to horrendous crimes and the violence that accompanies them.

Years ago in college, I remember being in a philosophy class. At the time, we were reading about the importance of a superman, someone to emulate. The name was referred to as Übermensch and was of German origin. The professor talked about the significance and importance of having a hero to look up to. We all needed one. At that time, we had many.

When I look around today, I can’t find more than one or two. Ask a child of school age and see what they say. It’s usually a sports figure or actor, someone famous or very rich. Not a real hero who has saved a life, changed something for the good, or made a monumental difference somehow in the community or world.

These hero’s are not on YouTube or reality television shows.  You will only find them in places when pointed in the right direction. News, magazines and many people seem to be pointed in the wrong direction. The problem is that most people today are looking the wrong way.

If I look closely at some of my friends and the people around me doing great things in small ways, or people in communities, who started grass roots organizations for those less fortunate, or the mass of volunteers, donating their time to help animals, elderly and the sick, then we can find hero’s. Sometimes, we just need to look a little harder. Sometimes it’s just slowing down long enough to look a little more closely.

So, is it just me who thinks this way ?

What are your thoughts on this ?  Feel free to leave a comment.

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