Shining Up The Crystal Ball

Shining Up The Crystal Ball

– By Ed Kociela –

Sitting on the launchpad for 2022 it would be easy to look back with remorse and lick our wounds after yet another year smashed by vicious disease, hate, intolerance and greed, and insufferable politics that push us over the maddening brink.

I try not to live that way, I try to not be that guy who takes great pleasure in being angry for the sake of being angry. I don’t want to be the grumpy old man who yells at the kids to get off his lawn. My wife says I am “too nice,” which I guess is a detriment these days. But, even nice guys have a breaking point and I am at mine.

Usually, guys like me who comment on life in general and the human condition like to, as we approach a new year, talk about all the wonder and comfort of a fresh new year; about how we get an annual do-over to fix what we botched.

I don’t know if I can paste on a Cheshire cat smile and try to pull that off, though. In fact, it would be dishonest to even make what would be a vain attempt to do so.

We’re kind of screwed and as long as we have people perpetuating the Big Lie about the election, as long as we have people who supported the domestic terrorists who threatened the Capitol and our Constitution a year ago, as long as we have idiots who refuse to wear masks in public and refuse to be vaccinated, as long as we have cops killing black people, as long as we ignorantly fail to allow people to identify however they wish, well, then I am cutting you loose. You are of no use or good to me, or anybody else for that matter.

As we tip-toe into 2022, it isn’t because we are being prudent or polite or cautious, it is because we have had the hell scared out of us these past two years and the future is filled with so much uncertainty.

I mean, how many more COVID-19 variants are going to haunt us?

How many turncoat politicians are going to try to stretch their 15 minutes of fame well beyond the length of reason just so they can shine in a muted spotlight?

How much more hate and anger must we endure?

I was hoping that by now, we would be back on the path to a sense of semi-normalcy, but I think that is still a pipe dream. We’ll see soon enough how all that airplane travel and all those gatherings wash out and how many will regret packing Times Square for the big ball drop this weekend. The experts are saying we could easily see another spike in the pandemic as a result.

I was hoping that by now, we would see some sort of healing, some sort of reunification, but that seems to have disappeared into the abyss of modern-day politics which is measured by hate, greed, anger, and bullying. We are growing apart more than we are healing at this point. Our political parties are withering from inside and out, there is no trust, there is no greater good to serve, there is no accountability, just loud-mouthed rubes who would rather shout you down, bully you into submission, and not understand the damage they leave in the wake of their own selfishness and self-aggrandizement. It’s a case of nuke ‘em all and leave the bodies stacked up on the roadside as a warning to those who would dare act within reason. I just want to keep my distance because when karma comes to call, I don’t want to be anywhere near those folks when it bites them on the ass.

And, to be bluntly honest, I was hoping that by now we would be done with Trump, that he would have faded into inglorious anonymity, never to be heard from again. The good news is that in 2022 we may have to hear his name now and then, but I am willing to bet that some time in the coming year his name will be linked to either federal or state charges for his behavior — or lack thereof — as a former who voters had the sense to kick to the curb.

As a senior, I am looking forward to the cost of living allowance increase in my Social Security check this year. As a living, breathing human being, I am sorry it will not quite cover the cost of living increases actually associated with a bum economy and inflation. At least the sentiment was right. Now, if only we could do something about boosting the minimum wage for the working poor.

I was hoping Build Back Better would zoom through Congress and help with key health and prescription coverages, but, alas, Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat of all things, derailed it. I was hoping by now he would be recognized for what he is, but I guess he really did take a walk down to the crossroads with Robert Johnson and make his own deal with the devil.

The thing is that we should seek our little moral victories wherever and whenever we can because doing the right thing still is preferable to sinking to the level of some of these animals.

That doesn’t mean to sit quietly and accept the insults and improprieties. Resist at every opportunity. We have a big election coming up. Use it to right some of the wrongs.

We have an uncertain future as far as the pandemic is concerned and none of us want to lose more time to lock-downs and the threat of infection. Do what the experts tell you. Don’t waste time on social media debating with ignorant fools. Just scroll past all that crap.

Financially? Well, maybe we will all be eating more hamburger than steak. That’s OK. Some people can’t afford even that. Maybe you put off getting a new car. That’s also OK as long as the one you have can get you from Point A to Point B. They are, after all, nothing but simple tools.

The best thing is to show solidarity with like-minded people. Your combined voice is louder than shouting into the darkness and they will help you keep the flame of your spirit lit.

And, finally, realize that it is OK to be like that grumpy old man and chase those little bastards off of your lawn.

It will, I promise, make you feel better.

Harrumph!

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