blogcutter

After the lazy (or not) hazy crazy days of summer, with festivals and once-a-year activities and such, all the more routine activities seem to start up with a vengeance in the fall. So yes, I've been busy. Some people maintain that busy-ness is a choice and I guess sometimes it is - for example, a workaholic who cherishes the illusion that they're indispensable or uses work to distract themself from other aspects of their life, like friendlessness or a miserable love life.

In my case, I've been busy with activities that are more or less essential, or at the very least advisable. Mostly medical stuff: the GP, the rheumatologist, the oncologist, the dentist and the eye doctors. Getting blood tests and the requisite vaccinations. Personal maintenance things mostly so I shudder to think of what life must be like for those with major health concerns, especially if they're living in poverty and have no family doctor.

It's left little time for blogging and whenever I've thought about posting lately, I'm plagued with blogger's block - or should that be blogger's clog?

There's a lot I'd like to put down on paper as well as on screen but to sum it up in a sentence and risk coming across as a drama queen, it would be:

What is this world coming to?

or alternatively:

Have we forgotten how to treat each other? Is socialization even a thing any more, or has it become a dirty word?

I'm optimistic enough to believe that critical thinking can at least be learned and taught but emotional intelligence is a considerably harder lesson. Technology has brought us a lot of benefits but it's problematic when some high-ranking person or conglomerate decides that everyone MUST use a particular technology just because it's there (and likely because they themselves reap considerable financial benefit from it)!

The news lately has been pretty dismal even in once-sleepy little Ottawa: every day we hear of stabbings and attacks. But I'm not only talking about the most extreme displays of incivility. I'm talking about day-to-day things, like no longer being able to get in-person service for day-to-day transactions. No longer being allowed to use cash or cheques. Being just expected, if not outright required, to use smartphones and apps for everything, thereby sacrificing our privacy, identity, health (both physical and mental) and more.

There's political polarization too. I remember a time when even when politicians espoused views and policies totally antithetical to my vision of things, they were still decent people able to engage in respectful discussion. Maybe even modify their or my views in the process. Not so much any more. Surely they could devote more time, energy and attention to issues that transcend party lines and that a broad swath of citizens would support, regardless of their party affiliations?

Does anyone out there have a recipe for defeating despair?