Attila responded this morning with, “You think you have a hard time sleeping now!”
We both had a good laugh.
It is all about responsibility. The kind of responsibility that is ideally attached to power.
Unfortunately most of the responsibility exhibited by the powerful is shuttled down to those with very little power, few resources, and voices shouting into the void.
What prompted the comment was my observation that a certain face appears in the news outlets over and over and over again. The face almost always has cold eyes and an angry open mouth, which to me resembles a black hole of misery. It seems bent on removing any shred of what is left of the best of humanity.
After a brief discussion about the current state of power in human social structures I said, “well, they aren’t listening to us!”
We both regard what little power we cling to, in the present sea of skewed misery, as intrinsically requiring responsibility. Greater power would then entail greater responsibility.
Attila response to having the power to change things was, “you think you have a hard time sleeping now!”
No matter how simplistically some politicians present reality, in truth it is complex, and the survival of our species (and many others) depends on working with it rather than using it as a tool of avarice.
Anyway, just a typical early morning chat at Mist Cottage.
Worldly
Weather
18°C
Date: 8:30 AM EDT Monday 31 August 2026
Condition: Mist
Pressure: 102.0 kPa
Tendency: Rising
Temperature: 17.7°C
Dew point: 17.7°C
Humidity: 100%
Wind: ENE 7 km/h
Visibility: 3 km
Quote
“For myself I am an optimist – it does not seem to be much use being anything else.”
Sir Winston Churchill
1874 – 1965
My optimism takes the form of looking at the world as truthfully as I am able, and hoping that humanity does the same.
I’m probably looking at much more political info than I should. I’m concerned about family members that live a distance away and I consider my own options for travel. I’m finding that if we ever decide to travel that options are limited, as I want as little interference from the outside world as possible.
For now, I’ve mostly vanquished my fears for myself and opted for a low, somewhat protected social profile that still allows me to make some hopefully careful comments on the state of the world without being remarkable in context of the vast millions who are also making comments.
Teri, it is becoming increasingly challenging to protect oneself in the digital world, where intrusions are so much easier to conduct against ordinary people. Your strategies are sound I think. Comments from individual humans can be enlightening, interesting, and connecting. Machine generated posts, clicks, and comments are toxic, for the individual and for human social structures.
It seems that the least capable of analytical thought are encouraged to dominate public discourse, given far more weight than their numbers deserve.
Hopefully we’ll see major changes in leadership in our mid-term and Presidential elections. After seeing the devastation in Nepal and the break-off of the huge glacier there, I wonder how much time our world has due to global warming. The effects seem to be accelerating.It’s all so depressing. Hugs to you all.
I do wish the very best for the people of the United States, I value our relationships. We have relatives who are US Citizens, one line back to the Mayflower. Most of the US citizens I know are wonderful people.
In the distant past the planet has undergone changes of the magnitude we are starting to see now. Humans survived these upheavals through adaptation and flexibility. The world as we know it is evolving, reacting to time, natural forces, and human forces. We are in rough waters, wishing love, faith, and determination to all.
Hugs to you Sandy!
Oh! As for sleeping, like many women of my age with a conscience, I do have some problems sleeping at night. Especially during the short nights of summer. Fortunately, I’ve found using straight CBD cream/lotion (no THC component) at bedtime helps me sleep.
I want to investigate if I’d do better using edibles, though.
Teri, interesting about the CBD cream and sleep. The more strategies there are for getting a good night’s rest, the better!