Since I spend way too much time online these days, I'm exposed to ideas, beliefs, and conspiracy theories that I never would encounter anyplace else. It's nearly enough to make me put the computer away, but then I'd have to do something constructive and that sounds way too tiring. I've been building a mental list of things that strike me as I poke around. See if it sounds familiar.
There are lots of words being spilled over the rampant fear that's charging over the land --- everything is scary. Terrorists. Guns. Opiates. Vaccines. Textbooks. Drug-resistant Disease. People of all kinds, colors, and nationalities: religious fanatics, invasive immigrants, big government, lying politicians, giant corporations, and on and on and on.
I wonder what people scared themselves with before the rise of mass communication. Death, of course, is the bottom line. There was a time, not so long ago, when infectious diseases were the the big fear. Anybody, anytime, could be struck down. You only have to walk around an old cemetery to begin to understand the precariousness of life just two generations ago. It's still like that in many parts of the world.
Right now, we live in a country with amazing public health measures in place. Instead of open sewers in the middle of the street, we have waste treatment plants. The water in our sinks, for most people (sorry, Flint Michigan) is safe; you're not risking typhoid every time you get a drink. Yet, millions of people don't trust the water and buy bottled water in plastic containers. Not based on warnings or having been sickened by it, just because....something.
Food supply. Yes, there are plenty of glitches, and problems do arise. Food poisoning, mainly from not following proper storage guidelines, is not uncommon. But we have nearly 330,000,000 people in this country and the vast majority of them eat well and safely, every single day. That's remarkable. And still there are entire corners of the internet scaring people witless about how poisonous their food is.
Crime! Guns! Crazy Criminals! It's almost too frightening to leave the house. To be absolutely safe, you can fortify your home with security systems, never let children out of sight, stay home and watch tv instead of going out in public places. You can even arrange to have almost everything you need delivered to your house. Just don't open the door when the delivery truck pulls up --- it could be a ruse.
Was it always this scary? I remember panics from years ago --- polio, communists, child snatchers --- so maybe it's just selective memory that makes it seem worse now. The thing is, living as though on the brink of disaster is no way to find happiness or satisfaction. So I just don't believe it.
I don't believe we're all headed to hell in a handbasket.
I don't believe everyone in any particular political party is terrible and out to ruin the country.
I don't believe any particular religion spells doom for the entire world.
I don't believe Big Business is scheming to create products and an economy which will leave everyone but the most elite to die in the streets.
I do believe that change is hard and sometimes frightening, and we are in a time of dizzying change.
People still have babies. Sometimes that surprises me, since mine were born so long ago. People still invent things --- amazing things --- that will help humankind. People still love each other, work together, laugh, show kindness for no reason other than kindness itself.
It's not all bad and scary. Yup, we're all going to die. It doesn't matter how much you pray to your favorite deity, it's still going to happen. It also doesn't matter how many times you go to the gym, how many ice cream sundaes you forego, whether you ever finish stitching that quilt or writing that book. It's still going to happen, and you can't stop it.
So if that's the scariest thing in the playbook, and it's inevitable, lighten up! It's just not that serious. Do what you like, love the people around you, and don't take yourself so seriously. Remember that graveyard with all the kids we talked about earlier? Destination vacation. You really can't take it with you --- there's just not room.
Every day is a new one, brand spanking new, and I, for one, don't believe it's all that bad.
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