Life as a Simple Thing

Life is not a simple thing yet many, and by many I mean most, live their lives as a simple thing. To be brunt, people have a tendency to take the easy way out, to do what is safe, what is comfortable, what is acceptable. I'm not a lot different although I'm beginning to not like that well traveled path. I mean, the dividends are nice, the end results are OK. I've got a good life, a decent house, a nice wife, good kids, and I'm somewhat respected.

That's not enough?

Don't misunderstand me. I'm not exactly unhappy, I don't have that right. For whatever reason, I've ended up in a pretty fortunate position. While I'm sure hard work had a lot to do with where I'm at, I'm well aware luck had quite a bit to do with me and my lot. So, I am grateful!

Yet, there's something missing, something I can't quite put my finger on, something left undone. Now anyone who has ever spent time reading anything I've ever wrote, knows that in my younger years, I believed in manifest destiny, not yours, mine. That's not what this is. It's not about saving the world, the whales, feeding the poor or spreading liberalism across the land.

That sense of leaving something undone is cause for a sense of guilt I can't justify. I think it's because I took the easy way out, I took that path that lead here. I could have done more but didn't want to. I'm not going to lie about it, that's the truth.

The question is, why didn't I care? It's not that I wasn't busy working, not that I wasn't busy raising a family, not that I wasn't busy in politics, not that I wasn't busy in building my life... I certainly was.

I've done everything I was supposed to.

But see, the thing is, I've always been a radical, I've always thought in radical terms, and it turns out, I'm not even close to being a radical. I've done everything right, everything to help myself out, help my family out, but I've done very little, if anything to change anything, to make anything better.

I've kept it simple, kept it safe.

Through the Tunnel and Around the Bend (or financially, things are starting to suck)

Yes, my pickled, pie eyed friends, while you were snoozing off your lustful, wanton night of debauchery and cheap whisky, thieves broke into your abodes, raped your women, abused your children and took off with your new 60 inch, high def moving picture screen, so their is no football today.

Uh, why did Fred just put a bullet through his brain?

Oh, I'm sorry, took the easy way out, did he? Well, seems the sensible thing to do when you can't see the forest through the trees. What? Dave's left his wife and kids and is running for the hills?

Sheeeeeesh..., over a tv!

I think very slowly, but surely, people are waking up to how much financial trouble we are in. Before you go wild and beat my thin ass, I'm not talking about the poor, the homeless, the tea partiers, the occupiers, as much as I'm talking about hard working, middle class Americans, the backbone folks. People I hang with!

Middle class America knew there were problems, and in fact were tightening their belts just as I have. I've cut back on groceries, changed how I pay bills, tried to work some overtime, don't go out to eat or a movie at all, anymore! We've cut a lot of the fat. OK, I've still got my smart phone but I'm seriousely thinking that will be going when my contract is up in April.

And now my property taxes are going up, substantially!

After 17 years of never really missing a mortgage payment, I'm wondering if it's all worth it. I don't want to spend the last half of my life struggling financially. I guess I'd be allright if I saw the light at the end of the tunnel, or even a bit beyond, but I don't. What I do see is everything getting worse, and a lot worse.

I don't see anyone paying attention. Yes, I get the nightly news but screaming about the financial ills and political diatribe isn't paying attention.  Really! Who gives a shit if Hermain pinched a girls ass some twenty years ago? I don't! Politicians are not dealing with the problems. At both state and federal levels, our politicians are playing political games and you and I, are the game pieces.

When will you have had enough? When will it be imporatant to you, that your voice be heard? Probably when it's too late and no one cares. I almost don't care now.

I would hope that our media is asking tough questions, and I mean some god damn, ball splitting, holdin' 'em accountable type of questions. Questions that don't let politicians run from the facts. That's not happening cuz the media, and all of the media, is part of the problem. They care about ratings and entertainment or in their language, profit.

It's up to us, the backbone, the working class to stand up and change things. No one else will.

If you don't speak, no one else will.