It’s December 4th and the
annual holiday improvement in kindness, generosity and all-around goodness is
more and more apparent. Well, maybe.
Haven’t noticed any of that in the political world. And it doesn’t seem
to be happening in our shopping places. The folks on the roads are certainly
not making strides in any of those areas. Social media does show an occasional
sign of good will. But that sign is usually followed by eight or nine posts of
name calling vitriol.
Of course, when it comes to politics there
is no middle ground. My kind hearted liberal friends think they’re fighting
evil incarnate. My well intentioned conservative acquaintances think they’re
being unjustly vilified and demeaned by, yes you guessed it, evil incarnate.
The issues are pretty big, I guess. That tax bill is important. The immigration
questions are still questions, no resolution there. Foreign affairs seem to be
pretty much bogged down in wars both ongoing and up-coming. While the economy
seems to be rebounding a little, there’s still a pretty big crowd of homeless
folks here at the public library every day. And I know lots of older people who
are just getting by. And, of course, that health insurance problem is not
getting fixed by any of our intelligent, caring legislators. Some of my
acquaintances who rely on the new government sourced plans have been hit with
premiums so high that they are just planning on taking their chances with no
insurance.
When I read yesterday’s newspapers I saw
lots of space dedicated to the increasing scourge of heroin and other opioid
use. A bunch of money is going towards that problem but the good results of
those programs are not too apparent. Another pile of articles was dedicated to
sex assault cases of prominent politicians and entertainers. I grabbed the
comics just to get a little relief. Then I did a crossword puzzle. Then I read
the advertising flyers. After the eighth page of the Boscov’s ad I finally
calmed down enough to start drinking.
What’s my point? Hell if I know. Kindness?
I know in “one on one” situations most folks are kind. And pretty much all of my
friends are generous with their time and money as they support charities,
causes and churches. But that underlying current of hatred for people who hold
opposing opinions is pretty apparent. It’s kind of like one of those quiet
cancers that swims around in the bloodstream and then suddenly bursts to the
surface of the body in a terrible lesion. And there are a mess of lesions
popping up everywhere and often. Quick treatments are applied and the sores subside
but the main disease is still cruising around. Who knows when the cancer will
be too big to contain?
I’m done worrying today. I might not
resume my pose of cynical indifference for now. I might adopt a new pose of
holiday cheerfulness, kindness and goodwill. Even though it’s not totally
sincere it might catch on. Gotta make the effort anyway. You’re welcome to join
me. And have a fine day.
