- October 30, 2015
- 3:49 pm
- Al Gini
- no comments
Distrust
Gini in a Bottle
Al Gini
Distrust
As I grow older I’m becoming more and more cynical about the general state of reality. Or perhaps I should say, I’m becoming more distrustful, unsure, and skeptical about life in general. For example whether you are a Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Unitarian, or Vegetarian: “Americans overwhelmingly think the country is heading in the wrong direction.” One group blames Obama. Another group thinks George W. is the culprit. The “Right to Life” people blame abortion for all of our social wrongs. Environmentalist say we are drowning in our own excess. Capitalist advocate the “free market place” as the answer to all. The Russians blame the American for their lack of European hegemony. Demographers tell us we cannot sustain our growing populations. And the Pope tells us that population isn’t the problem, rather what is lacking is a universal concern for social justice.
Silence please! The din of this cacophony of confusion is irksome and demoralizing! After a while I don’t know who to believe or who to trust. More and more there is less real debate in the public realm. Rather we shout at each other. We present our positons as truthful, absolute, and without need for correction or modification. Everybody is starting to sound like a “True Believer” or a “Prophet” whose point of view is beyond reproach. Case in point, everyone is starting to sound like Donald Trump! Rather than debating or dialoging with his opponents he accuses them of- “Not being very smarty”- “Not being very cleaver!”- “Not being very good looking!”
The result of all of this, for me at least, is that I get tired, I give up, I’ve become wary of politics, politicians, prophets, popes, and pundits of all kinds and from every perspective.
Maybe I am just growing old and grouchy! (Ok, for some!) But my discontent is not just a product of decrepitude. Rather it is a by-product of our collective failure as a species to try to “stand outside of the needs of self” and be open to “the needs of others.”
Because of all of this what has happened to me is that-“Every day I know less and less about more and more!”