So here I am with a chest cold that makes the Spanish Influenza look like a sniffle and conjunctivitis in both eyes. The discharge coming from my eyes looks like it should be part of Behr's spring indoor color wheel. I have tried to trademark the color and name it Spring Mist. It pairs well with Warm Ivory and Lavender Field. Just see your Lowe's associates for ideas for application.
On top of my own self-pity, my wife and three kids are either sick or just getting over being sick with all three boys having pink eye. Final tally: 8 eyes with pink eye. 2 ear infections. 5 colds. 2 doctor visits. 3 fevers. Countless milligrams of acetaminophen and NSAID consumed. One weekend.
Ahhhhhhh yeaaahhhhhh boyyyyyyyy!
Our house has been categorized by the U.N. Security Council as a hotspot for biological warfare. Of course Russia abstained from voting, but I imagine the blue helmets are going to show up at our door any moment now. Move over Axis of Evil, here comes Turleykistan.
Maybe it's the massive amount of DayQuil and Robitussin that is coursing through my veins. Maybe it's the lack of sleep. Maybe it's the 3 constant days of gray drizzle we've had here in the Northeast.
But good god almighty, the collective "we" are one lucky group of people. Seriously. We have been doused in a metric ton of luck juice and then jammed full of serendipity until our jaw hurts to be born when and where we were. It's hard to see this through the recent events at Sandy Hook and Clackamas Town Center but it's there.
Think about it. Don't just wave your hands in some non-sensical way and mutter how bat shit crazy I am. Actually think about it.
Had we popped our heads up south of the 31 N degree parallel, we'd be born into a country primarily ruled by oligarchs, rife with systemic violence due to the drug trade and have little of the comforts we have here, namely Pinkberry and Five Guys.
Had we been graced this world by being born west of the 124 W degree line, well, we'd be born into an ocean but you get my drift.
Drift ... ocean ... get it? Get it?!?! Oh FFS. . . moving on.
We are lucky that we don't have to worry about polio or smallpox ravaging our population. We are blessed to have the freedom of press, religion and be in a progressive state (admittedly not as progressive as many as would like but progressive nonetheless). We are fortunate to be living where we can connect with friends, family and loved ones within mere seconds thousands of miles away. We're lucky to have a contentious political system, for all its failings, have given us generations of relative prosperity and peace.
But luck can only take us so far.
The United States is not perfect. I'm not naive enough to think that we are a peaceful nation. In fact, it's the opposite. Since November 11/21, 1620, the Pilgrims decided to use fists and guns as diplomacy. We rebelled against the mightiest European empire and rend our nation into two. Whether it's a predilection to violence or it is somewhere written in our DNA, the human race is a contentious lot and glaringly moreso here in good ole' Muricah.
I'm not going to ramble on how this is a watershed moment because frankly, nothing has changed. We are in no different place than we were when James Holmes went on his pre-meditated rampage. Columbine. Fort Hood. Seattle cafe. Thurston High School. Gabby Giffords. Nothing has changed.
Don't confuse my logic with emotion. I have shed my own private tears thinking about those affected. I have three children of my own and can barely stand to see them have a cold. I cannot fathom the grief these communities are facing. However, until we are honest with ourselves, nothing will change.
We embrace violence. We extol violence by calling people patriots, martyrs and heroes. We talk of warriors, being tough, fighting through the pain and shedding our blood on the proverbial battlefield, whether that battlefield is real, on the playing field or even in business.
^^^^^
This is us. This is you. This is me. This is our nation. Until we have our "moment of clarity" and see what is actually going on here, we will continue on our violent ways.
What comes from these events on a policy level, I cannot guess at. I hope it's a thoughtful and comprehensive approach and not a knee jerk reaction. Gun control. Mental health. Federal regulation of arms. 2nd amendment revisions. They're all prescriptions addressing symptoms and not the underlying cause.
I'm waiting for the day we can have a rational and lucid conversation that isn't hijacked by soundbytes from pro or anti gun lobbying groups. Neither side is helping here. It's a terrible self-sustaining feedback loop that does not appear to be at its crescendo.
As lucky as we are, I'd trade it away for some hope and action towards a better world for my sons.
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