The Accelerating Treadmill

Sometimes life sucks. Actually, it sucks more than most people will ever let on. Especially now that the new normal is just trying to survive. It seems, to me anyway, just trying to survive isn't much of a life and it sucks.

 I bought into the American Dream; lock, stock and barrel. It was told to us by our fathers that if we work really hard we could do anything we wanted. Opportunity abounded and it seemed that the fruited plain would provide for all our needs according to the effort put forth. Believe me, the effort was put forth. Burning the candle at both ends and the middle at the same time produced some amazing results for a season. But that season has passed and it wont come back around anytime soon for those of us of a certain age.

It wasn't to long ago that I owned the world. Not literally but there was a time when things came about in a different fashion. I feel like a stranger in my own land now, there has been a shift in the balance of what we as a generation were told, what we lived and what the reality is now. I don't understand the world anymore. It's almost like I woke up one day and found that the life I knew was nothing but a dream.

We were taught to be honest in our dealings, respect other people, play fair and help those less fortunate than ourselves. To understand that we were to work for what we wanted or needed. To not look for handouts but a find your own way out. Now, all that is non sense to everyone. It's common place to look down your nose at someone doing a menial job such as retail or a tradesman laying bricks in the hot summer sun. I remember once; my nephew was with me at Home Depot. He was making fun of a guy running a forklift and having a hard time with it. He was actually laughing at him, saying he was an idiot and couldn't do anything any better. I proceeded to put my finger in his face and told him that if I ever heard him making fun of ANYBODY doing an honest work, regardless of what it was, he would not be happy. I asked him if he knew the guys story. He said no, he didn't. So, how do you know he's not working here before he finishes his PHD next semester? Or, maybe his kid needs braces and he works here part time to afford them? Never judge, you don't know.

My world has gone away, crushed by life and the changes that it forces on you. The irony of a snot nosed lawyer, who went to college and then on to law school using public funds; (i.e. tax dollars) turning around and suing for a giant corporation that got 139 billion dollars in bailout money; (i.e. tax dollars) the very one that paid to fund the whole thing!

Well, the turnip has no more blood left in it, but if you need the practice, I can be a real antagonist when I need to be. I will be right over here, doing my menial job and trying to survive. It doesn't look very promising; but this is the reality of what is. And it sucks.