I think the happiest people I know all celebrate their birthdays more authentically as they age. that anniversary of another year around the sun becomes more significant as the number of years lived grows – and those still to come diminishes.
there’s been a recent round of birthdays in my social circle and more than one conversation about life in “our 50s” and “our 60s,” numbers I never pictured to be as great as I’ve been fortunate enough to experience them. I certainly don’t feel how I might have imagined 57 would feel.
there’s so much more I want from life, so much more I hope to do before I come to my inevitable end. But, by no means do I want to live forever, especially not in this world.
I’m serious. I’m just not interested in living in a world in which we’ve become even less human, even less civilized.
we’re not growing in the right direction, folks.
sometimes I wonder if I would have brought children into the world if I were 30 years old now, in today time. what are we leaving to them? more importantly, what are we leaving them to?
we are destroying a planet which has provided millions with the means to survive. we’ve polluted every available surface possible – the air, the ground, the water. last month, my dog required $750 worth of veterinary care after picking up bacteria or a parasite in the waters of his happy place.
ever try to keep a labrador and water apart?
far too many are more committed to their lifestyles than they are to their lives, without a thought to spare to those who are losing their homes and very existences to climate change.
big oil owns the governments of an awful lot of countries.
I had a conversation a couple of weeks ago with a couple who have about a decade and half on me , age wise, and we agreed that living an excessively long life (maybe 80-85+) did not hold an appeal. we’re just not optimistic that this civilization death spiral is going to right itself any time soon.
conversations about artificial intelligence don’t intrigue me – they horrify me.
realizing that America’s answer to gun violence is to train children how to hide from active shooters and to present the situation as normal has left me numb.
And we wonder why young people are suffering from an epidemic of anxiety and depression.
knowing that there are people who perpetrate violence so extreme that it involves beheading babies is something I wish I had never learned . living in a world in which I share air with such people leaves me gasping to breathe.
foolishly, I believed that the world would improve once djt was removed from the Oval Office. let me admit, here, that I was wrong. those rocks which were overturned with the false declarations that his party would make America great again, instead invited despicable people to stretch out and bask in the light of their hatred towards whomever they perceive to be “other.”
- people of color
- the lgbtqia+ community
- women
- the poor
- members of some religions
in many ways, I live a privileged life and I’m exhausted by the conflict, hatred and rage that seems to be present in every direction I look. if humans have occupied this planet for 200,000 years, how is it possible that a better method of dealing with disagreements and differences has not yet been figured the fuck out?
with the continuing and escalating threats about Friday the 13th’s (tomorrow) “day of jihad,” along with the memory of 9/11, I’m feeling particularly on edge.
this all feels really heavy.
be safe, friends.
DelSo 
I will be 69 next week and don’t see a promising future for our grandsons.
Even our Gov’t can’t get it’s act togther.
I never could have imagined such a hate filled world – have we learned nothing from all of our previous conflicts?
At 44 years old, I find myself reflecting on a life that has been uniquely shaped by my identity as an intersex lesbian. It’s a journey marked by both personal growth and external challenges. Lately, I’ve been acutely aware of the hate and resentment that some people direct towards me and my wife, and it’s disheartening, to say the least. It’s perplexing to consider how my existence, which has no bearing on anyone else’s life, can evoke such negative emotions in others.
I wish I knew how to explain the hatred, but it is beyond my understanding. Why people care so very much about others’ identities is inexplicable to me. It’s time, though, for those who are free of such small minded thinking to step up and let those being targeted know that they are accepted and respected. I accept and respect you and appreciate your comment. ✌🏼
You express what is on my heart. I relate entirely.
My grandchildren were raised and educated to be world citizens. As soon as they graduated from college, they left the US for all the reasons any of us can imagine. They say it is primarily because of gun violence, the hatred towards marginalized citizens, institutionalized poverty, no universal healthcare, the obvious fusing of Church and State in politics, and fear for the rights of women being lost. My grandson is trans and he lives with fear of being attacked. I can’t disagree. All of this is happening. We have thought about leaving, too. Yes, we’re privileged.
And yes, it’s heavy, especially the past few weeks. It is plainly obvious to the world that Hamas didn’t care what hellfire will rain down and kill Palestinians. They targeted Israeli citizens, knowing what would happen in the aftermath. Hamas should pay. But how? In a sane world, I’m with the view of Marianne Williamson, “is brute force, an eye for an eye, brutal genocide, the correct response in this region, at this time in civilization?” I don’t know what the alternative response could be but I wish there was one being presented. I’ve lost two longtime once-sane friends who embraced radical Zionism. They now view me as an enemy. I experienced their irrational hatred of Palestinians, although they don’t personally know any Palestinians. It showed me the ugly darkness that lives in Israel’s current government. And how radicalization is systemic. But that’s another conversation……
I’m anti-war, anti-hate, anti-oppression. Yet no discussion is happening in the world’s leadership about an alternative response to this latest attack than leveling Gaza, the land, people, animals. The Pentagon reports that Netanyahu has no plan once they eradicate Gaza. I don’t believe it. According to the newly released UNHCR data and World Bank estimates, the number of refugees globally rose to 38.3 million in 2022. Imagine three generations of your family raised and living in a refugee camp? Now we push Palestinians into another open air prison, those who survive anyway.
I have no answers. Only a broken heart and spirit. I stand with the people of Israel and the people of Palestine, with all my heart. When will violence and destruction be the only playbook? It’s 2023. Where/Who is the leadership for a new playbook?