From where I sit, things in the world right now suck. At this moment there is not a lot of good news flooding the airwaves. It is seemingly impossible to avoid hearing about the conflict in Iraq. Every media touch point spews constant information about the ongoing war that shakes the foundation in the Middle East. We are bombarded daily by sight and sounds of the horrifying events as they unfold. There is nary a place you can sit where you aren't exposed to the carnage. Trying to share a pint and some words with a few work friends recently was disrupted by the updates of the war. Bitching about an associate's unwarranted promotion is made painfully insignificant by the images of a country on fire. You can do nothing but shake your head in dismay and question what is going on in this world?
There is the growing threat of the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) illness that has now swept the world. The horrible sickness that to date has no treatment, that now has spun the masses into precautionary mode. It isn't uncommon where I live to see people wearing masks walking down the street to avoid infection. We have people scared to take public transit and use the elevators in their own buildings. Washing your hands constantly is becoming a necessity and I was recently persuaded to purchase a bottle of instant hand sanitizer to carry with me at all times. Instant friggin' hand sanitizer? I recently saw an ambulance pull up in front of a hospital and the workers that exited the vehicle were dressed like a character out of the movie Outbreak. What is going on?
I know people that are contemplating canceling visiting relatives out of fear of traveling. There is so much uncertainty now that there is one special lady I know who is unsure whether she can go spend time with her own grandparents. These are sad times when people are fearful to travel to visit loved ones. I just can't figure out if it is fear of SARS or fear of terrorism or fear of both? If one wasn't bad enough…
Above all this we are constantly reminded that the economy is going to go to hell. And if that wasn't bad enough my city has just enjoyed a three day ice storm that has caused a number of horrific chain reaction car crashes across the major highways.
*sigh*
You can do nothing but shake your head in dismay and question what is going on in this world? And this is only my small insignificant reality. By some standards and definitely some parts of the planet my slice of the earth has got it easy.
In all this I wonder…we must be due for some good news for a change. Where is the cosmic balance to all of these unrelenting bad circumstances? Isn't it fair to assume that there should be a serious case of "even steven" on a grand scale soon? There has to be a silver lining to this dark cloud…doesn't there?
As my fingers continue
to tap the edges of my keyboard I realize there is no answer. So here
I sit, distracted, as I take one more glance outside my window.
...but that's just
my opinion.
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