Isn’t Life Strange?

I apologize in advance about the long and rambling post.  I’ve spent several hours working on it and trying to make it better.  It still isn’t quite right or perhaps as well-written as I had hoped, but here it is…

I don’t know if it is because of the political silly season or if my tolerance has naturally reached its limit, but I am tired of all the nonsense. 

Those of you who have been keeping up with me know I am sort of a news junkie.  For some bizarre reason, I have found entertainment in the reporting of things happening around the planet, mostly within the United States.  I have especially taken an interest in the often mind-boggling actions in government and in news stories surrounding the upcoming Presidential election in November. 

I think the way in which I express my opinions over these things is due to passion, compassion, interest (call it what you will) in the world and in the human condition.  I am opinionated about many things, admittedly to a fault.  I get irritated when I read about things I believe are just plain wrong. Although I may not always be able to speak in great detail, I enjoy engaging in discussion about news and issues with others.  Given that I find much in the news to be outrageous, it is not uncommon for me to get a bit irritated at times.

Well folks, I have some of my own news to report.  I’ve had it.  The volume of garbage reported in the news has finally pushed me to my limit.  I have come to the realization that I just don’t give a damn anymore.  My compassion for those I don’t know is now extremely limited.  I have no control over much of anything in the world, nor can I be of any influence. So frankly, I just don’t care anymore.  Don’t care, don’t care, don’t care.  I have officially disengaged. 

I’m fed up with the extreme bias of the media.  It doesn’t matter to me if that bias is from the perspective of the left or right anymore — I’m sick of it all.  The amount of spin used to frame a story is painfully obvious, and when reading articles or watching the nightly news one must wonder how much of every report is the honest truth and how much of it is pure fantasy. 

Nearly every piece of politics or current event reporting is making me sick.  No matter what happens, the story as told is always about the poor, the disadvantaged, the sadness, the misery, the minorities, the victims of social injustice.  Everything is told through the filter of political correctness.  We’re made to feel guilty for success, for personal achievement, for being of a certain race, and even for being unapologetically proud of our country. I’m tired of issues, tired of politics, and tired of the unending parade of social and political activists that tell us we’re not doing anything right. 

There are two paths I can take at this point in time.  I can continue getting upset while reading news article after news article on the Internet, eventually driving myself mad and making everyone else around me miserable, or I can find something better to do with my time. I have read samples of the writings of those who cannot come to terms with the realities of society, and the notion of becoming angry and bitter like them is not appealing.  I have little desire to sit in an old folks home near the end of my life looking back with deep regrets about all the great times I missed while I was wasting my life commenting about the things some knuckle-headed senator said. 

The honest truth is that there are only a few precious things in life that matter.  Time would be better spent taking care of myself and my family, sharing good times with friends, and generally minding my own business.   

It won’t be easy for me to kick the habit but as I sit here and look out over this beautiful little lake, I know there is much more to life than getting carried away with the things that have little or no impact on my own life and happiness. 

Life is too short to spend it worrying about the things we cannot control.  The best we can do is make the most out of the time we have here.