Every so often you begin to suspect that past, present, and future are pretty much the same thing.
Every so often you begin to suspect that past, present, and future are pretty much the same thing. Subtleties and nuances change, and circumstances vary, but our collective lives are by and large a repetition of actions and events that have occurred billions of times over the millennia. We’re really not doing or thinking anything – right now – that
our distant ancestors didn’t do or think in the hazy mists of antiquity.
We evolve scientifically and technologically – sometimes for the good and sometimes for the bad – but human nature remains static, a closed system. History shows us that humanity runs through predictable cycles.
There are times of war, infrequent spells of peace, and the rise and fall of religions and ideologies. Periodically, anger and chaos arise from a manic obsession with outrageous beliefs. Through it all, you have people who are rich, who are poor, who are healthy, and who are sick. A small percentage of the wise and compassionate strive to teach, to give succor without demanding credit or subservience. Another small percentage— the narcissistic and sociopathic—fight for control, dominance, and total obedience from those they view as inferiors.
In terms of mind, soul, need, and desire, the events of 2021 are little different from the events of 1,000 years ago. We have learned, the hard way, that our alleged enlightenment does not make us safe from plagues. We see, daily, that the most wealthy and powerful among us care mostly about acquiring more wealth, more power, and squashing even the mildest hint of dissent. We see lies that are peddled as truth, truths that are labeled as hate, and hate that is packaged as righteousness.
We are urged to accept, under penalty of social and financial ostracism (and sometimes under law) concepts and theories that are dubious at best and demonstrably untrue at worst. We are told we must confess, again under penalty of shunning and ruin (and sometimes under law) that we are personally responsible for crimes ranging from racism and bigotry to killing off a planet. We are told we must be accountable for the atrocities of our forbears, that we must believe that men aren’t men and women aren’t women. We are told that we must conform in the name of individuality, that we must condone crime in order to “reimagine” law and achieve social justice.
It’s all nuts . . . and it’s all happened time and time again.
Contrary to popular belief, I don’t regularly ponder such things. I’m from Missouri; you must show me the absolute validity of a supposition before I’ll waste my time considering it. Otherwise, I’m content to very politely ignore both it and you. I’ll scratch the dog’s ears, finger-pick some blues, plant some trees, and enjoy the warm camaraderie of my friends. I’ll smoke some ribs, catch a fish, and whittle a stick. My only goal is to hate nobody, love a few, and enjoy that which is real in this brief and precious life . . . secure in the knowledge that honesty, ethics, simplicity, and common sense are the harbingers of real truth.
All things fall, and all things rise. When the noise be-comes too loud, just recall that “this too shall pass.”
That’s how it should be. That’s how it is.
This article was orginally published in the October 2021 issue of Missouri Life.
