When Failure Leads to Death

When failure leads to death.

This day in 2018, we are staring oblivion in the face.  Tribal factions all over the planet are in horrible combat, each with others.  Some with ALL others, not they themselves.

It is beyond tragic, because we all will pay.  

Where did it go wrong?  In this country, U.S.A., it began when we went to war against a foe, who wanted one thing only.  And, that was to be left alone to decide their own fate. Which, had no bearing whatsoever on us.  And yet, to war we went because they did not seem to want what WE thought everybody OUGHT to want.

In that misplaced threat, ALL Americans were held accountable.  Mandatory conscription was the law of the land, so ALL American men between the ages of 18 and 25 were required to register with the government AND to “serve” as soldiers if called.

A short period of peace followed the American defeat - yes, America LOST that war.  The last personnel involved leaping into helicopters from the capitals rooftops. Truly like Nazis in the bunkers in Berlin.  Leave or die.

To stay out of that horrible mistake, young men who were in college and maintaining decent grades, were exempted.  That meant that a lot of young men, who were not anxious to die, did their utmost to get into and stay in Higher Learning.  Failure meant death, or probable death (it seemed)(at the time).

During the very brief peace that followed, Mandatory Conscription (the “Draft”) was, step by step, repealed.  Very quickly an over confident culture became lethargic as to their global safety. College, higher learning, became an expensive, very expensive, “treat” appealing only to those with really high ambitions and maybe, those from families with a lot of expendable income.  

The result has been a culture-wide devaluing of “learning” in general, with the mind-widening study of honest history and the Arts dropping nearly out of consideration “et allus in totum”.  As the few with the mental energy to rise have risen, those with lessening mental discipline have fallen lower and lower on the scales of accomplishment and reward.

And, they have become mindlessly resentful of this fall.  They grasp onto many of the concepts recorded history has proven to be fatal.  Racism, religious zealotry, economic persecution, nationalism over basic moral humanism.  And, as history has proven over and over, when the plowshares are beaten into swords, the death toll mounts and mounts until victory equates to one thing - a snake consuming its own tail.  

Mental Illnesss Is A Disease?

Mental illness is a disease.

Wikipedia; “In humans, disease is often used more broadly to refer to any condition that causes pain, dysfunction, distress, social problems, or death to the person afflicted, or similar problems for those in contact with the person.”

This has currently been applied to alcoholics, opioid addicts, or anyone falling into the category defined (above) by Wikipedia. Which means, obviously, those of us with neurological conditions are diseased (?).  Seems kind of scary, doesn’t it?

I am beginning to notice a conflict with the term “disability” and references to “diseases”.  Fer instanz - the alcoholism and opioid debate. Why are those two conditions referred to as “diseases” and bipolar disorder is a “disorder”, or a “disability”?  Really? Why isn’t alcoholism a disability and not a disease?

If you have a mental illness (“illness” v. “disease”)(?), how do we make the jump to “disability”?  Neurological disorders can be genetic and/or the result of injury to the cranium. Problems with neurological abnormalities can be the result of environmental pollution, too.  Lead in the water system can lead to retardation, we know this. Medical science has proven the effects of lead poisoning; like 100 years ago this was a known fact. Maybe before that?  

I have begun to refer to my condition, diagnosed as Bipolar plus PTSD, as a disease.  As opposed to a disability. Somehow, to me, it’s easier to feel more “normal” referring to my neurological challenge as a disease.  I mean, I am not really disabled physically. In fact, for my age I am able way above the curve for physical “abilities”. I don’t need, nor do I ever use, a “Handicap parking spot”. Don’t need ramps or Braille or a hearing aid.

Are diabetes and thyroid conditions “disabilities” or diseases?  Well, both are more commonly called “conditions”, medical conditions.  With diabetes we just say “diabetic”. ? … ?? (?).

No! I don’t have answers or solutions to this conundrum.  

Days of Hate, Days of Rage

Days of Hate, Days of Rage

Right now in October of 2018, we seem to be living in a historical time of darkness.  There are many undercurrent causes for this.  Each day seems like February in Cleveland, Ohio.  Gray, overcast sludgy skies.  A threat of either rain or, maybe, sleet.  No sunshine breaking through anywhere overhead and no scent of snow.  

If you’ve ever lived anywhere it does snow a lot, you learn to smell a sharp crispness in the air, just before you see, or feel, the first flakes of a new snow.  We do not have that now.  There is more of a foulness on the wind.  A mixture of car exhaust, with a tinge of oily asphalt and dumpsters.  Like behind an abandoned warehouse.

We want to feel better.  We want to say, “Hey, smile.  It’ll get better.  This is just a tough time for everyone.”  And, “The economy is doing great.  Money is flowing.  Fewer people are out of work.”  But then, why are we at each others’ throats all the time.   Why when it seems to be a prosperous time, do so many people feel such inner despair?

Why, when an acquaintance asks, “How are ya?”, is it so painful and feels so hypocritical to simply say, “Great.”  Or, even “I’m good.  I’m Good.” ?  When in your mind you’re really thinking, “Everything is totally fucked up.”  Of course, you can’t do that.  You can’t really say that, or how you are really feeling.

My theory is that this is because our current world as we know it, is hanging just below the sword of Damocles.  And, the tiny thread that holds it, is in the hand of either one idiot or another, every other day.  Massive numbers of people are being shoved from one hell-hole to another.  And the reason these places have become hell-holes is so obviously because of greed or ignorance or bigotry.  Or, all of these plus insanity over issues that are essentially because of one Divine Notion Cult attempting to annihilate another Divine Notion Cult.  Completely oblivious to the millions of people in between.

Destruction and death are the only goals, if these maniacs do not get “their way”.

We all know from history that “trickle down economics” doesn’t work, because the rich love their richness and never let it trickle anywhere.  However, “madness” does trickle down.  It only took one Mad Emperor to bring down four centuries of “The Glory that was Rome”.  It only took one mad Chancellor of one country to bring on a World War that killed millions and millions of people everywhere.  As it is said, “The fish rots from the head.”  This seems to be very obvious.  Especially today.