insanity

Fiddling – ND #118

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Tonight’s Sky – Photo: L. Weikel

Fiddling

I just watched Ali Velshi reporting from Lviv, Ukraine, as he stands in for Rachel Maddow on her eponymous show. I’m struggling to come up with something – anything – I can write that doesn’t make me feel like I’m fiddling while Rome burns. Ali was reporting on the utter carnage (war crimes) perpetrated by Russian soldiers in Bucha, a suburb of Kiev, and the reality is devastating.

It’s hard to wrap my mind around the fact that such atrocities are happening right now, as we live and breathe and move on with our lives. I’m conflicted, knowing that vast numbers of Russian soldiers didn’t even know they were spearheading a war; indeed, many thought they were either heading into a training mission or they would be greeted with flowers, as liberators, by the people of Ukraine. I’m conflicted because most of these conscripted youths probably cannot comprehend the reality they discovered, especially the ferocity of the Ukrainians.

So what level of insanity and barbarity had to overtake these soldiers to cause them to commit the atrocities that are being discovered?

No Silver Lining

When hearing that on the fences outside the homes where people were brutally raped and murdered signs were taped that simply said, “We are peaceful people,” one can only surmise that the soldiers were overcome with some sort of psychosis. Literally, they had to have devolved into insanity.

This is all the more apparent when one considers that there is no way to physically distinguish between a Ukrainian person and a Russian person. These soldiers, therefore, committed these heinous acts on people indistinguishable from their own friends and families.

I’m not in any way saying that it’s ok to butcher people who physically appear different from us. I just know that autocrats and dictators cultivate hatred of anyone who appears ‘other’ to us. Separation, blame, vilification of anyone different than us, they’re all tactics to separate us from each other, from our shared humanity.

This whole situation is forcing us to confront the grim reality that there truly are – and never will be – any winners in this situation. (If we were paying attention, we knew from the very beginning that all of this was unfolding as a result of one man’s egotistical attempt to impose his dream of a ‘reunited Russia’ on Ukraine.) How do we even begin to comprehend how completely different life was six weeks ago for so many or that any of this could happen in the 21st century.

No More?

There is nothing to celebrate (even if the ferocity of the Ukrainians’ hearts does bring a measure of pride and hope). There isn’t a single silver lining. I’d like to think the nauseating images we’re seeing would lead the world to unite and say, “NO MORE. We said ‘never again’ after WWII and we meant it!”

But alas, our hearts continue breaking every single moment this barbarity continues.

We must find a way to change our trajectory or no one will survive. (Our bodies may survive, but our hearts and souls will be crushed.) We must find a way. We must somehow create a silver lining – for our future generations, if nothing else. We must find a way to heal humanity.

Embedded Smile – Photo: L. Weikel

(T+118)

Weird Stuff – Day 651

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Potential Prey – Photo: L. Weikel

Weird Stuff

OK. I just sat here and started a post. I wrote a couple paragraphs and then looked away from the document I was working on because a text message made my phone chirp, which momentarily distracted me. When I returned to the document moments ago, nothing was there. Nothing other than ‘Day 651.’ That’s some weird stuff.

This is all in keeping with the way the rest of today has unfolded, which is both unnerving and infuriating. I sent myself at least six different photographs from my iPhone – possible inspirations for whatever I was going to write about this evening – and I sent them significantly earlier in the day, too! (For once I can’t blame this on me being ‘last minute.’) But they have yet to arrive in my email inbox. I also sent photos to a friend and colleague in England a good eight hours ago – and they have yet to arrive in his inbox.

I’d laugh if everything wasn’t just so seemingly bolloxed up. When electronic stuff doesn’t go through or doesn’t get delivered, there’s not a lot we can do. And it’s not even as though we can drop back and punt by sending things out via snail mail. Nope. Can’t rely on that anymore either.

What’s Sacred Anymore

The fact that our ability to communicate via the written word can be so easily and profoundly derailed is troubling. Or it should be. And the fact that it is our own government that’s sabotaging delivery of the physical expression of the written word should be more than alarming.

We’re seeing some profoundly weird stuff being passed off as the usual hyperbole associated with an election season. It is not. We are being bombarded by insanity. And if we don’t stand up and demand accountability, we will soon be buried by the bullshit.

The entire argument that disabling over 600 massive mail sorting machines could possibly be appropriate as we approach the election is disingenuous at best. And I do not buy it. But to destroy the machines? What fresh insanity is that? Why would that be done in any case, for any reason, other than to sabotage our mail system?

If you haven’t paid attention yet, here’s an article that describes quite literally what’s happening as a result of this deliberate assault on our mail system.

We’re living through disturbing times and witnessing some truly weird stuff. We need to dig deep and refuse to accept this assault on our institutions, our rights, and on what we know is right and true.

We need to take care of each other and what’s really important. This week is sure to be a wild, dystopian ride. We need to keep each other sane and not succumb to all the weird stuff being thrown at us from every direction.

Potential Predator – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-460)

A Day of Moment – Day 402

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Photo: L. Weikel

A Day of Moment

If I didn’t write about what happened in the House of Representatives this evening, it would be obvious that I am tiptoeing around the elephant slumbering at my feet.

While I don’t think there’s anything I can say that can provide additional insight into the process we just witnessed, I do feel it is a day of moment that deserves acknowledgment.

Sitting here, I’ve just written and then deleted several variations on paragraphs decrying what I perceive as a perilous path our nation is treading on right now, which is the refusal to have an understanding of a shared reality.

How do you have a reasonable debate with anyone if you cannot agree on something as fundamental as what is fact?

It is seriously mind-bending, for instance, to watch and listen to Republican Congresspeople argue that the impeachment articles were based upon ‘hearsay’ evidence and rail upon the fact that ‘no first-hand evidence was produced’ when the second article of impeachment, Obstruction of Congress, is specifically based upon the President’s outright refusal to allow the White House to comply with the nine subpoenas that were issued demanding documentary evidence as well as compelling testimony from all the people who had direct evidence of the President’s conduct and intentions.

This is utterly insane. And it’s offensive, really, to any logical approach to living in a civilized society.

Can’t Have It Both Ways

To allow a person who is accused of a crime to (a) refuse to comply with a subpoena themselves; and (b) direct all the people who were directly involved (or potentially involved) and who worked directly for that person not to comply with subpoenas is bad enough. Right there, that simple act should speak for itself and give rise to the obvious inferences.

But then to have that person’s defenders use the lack of witnesses, which was the direct result of that refusal to provide witnesses, as evidence that no crime was committed is absolute lunacy. It’s insulting to the rule of law. It’s insulting to our intelligence. And it’s insulting to our ability to engage in actual discourse and debate.

And yet, an entire party in our government right now is making that argument with a straight face. And yelling in rage and faux outrage at anyone who will listen.

I ask you: where do we go from here? How do we create any hope of resolving issues together? Reaching compromises? How do we get to a middle ground if acceding even the existence of shared facts, of a shared reality, is perceived as yielding to the ‘enemy?’

No Shame

It’s also terribly disconcerting to me that it would appear that people don’t care how they appear anymore. I’m not talking about superficial looks or appearances. I mean people no longer seem to care if they are spouting allegations that are blatantly creating double standards.

There appears to be no shame in A accusing B of doing X, all the while A and A’s children, are doing X all the time, in many venues, and in plain sight and broad daylight. What are we teaching our kids about hypocrisy when this blatant example of it is taking place all the time – in our highest institutions?

Sense of Fairness and Justice

As an attorney, I have to admit I’ve always had an affection and respect for, and been a nerd about, our mode of government, our court system, and the sanctity of impartiality. Even when I was a lowly member of our township’s Zoning Hearing Board, I took my oath as a member of the board extremely seriously. I made a point of being impartial, of taking my responsibility to listen to all of the facts and examine all of the evidence from a completely neutral place.

Why? Because that’s the fundamental basis of our society. If we can’t believe in and rely upon the integrity of those we elect or who are appointed to serve us, then we have nothing. We invite anarchy. We end up hopelessly divided and suspicious and cynical.

Day of Moment

Today was a day of moment. Impeachment occurred, and the president was held accountable for abusing his power and obstructing Congress in its job of providing oversight of the executive branch. But this is no reason to celebrate. When not one single Republican put aside their abject refusal to see the hypocrisy of claiming a lack of evidence supporting the first article, and the obvious blocking of provision of that evidence (proof positive of the second article), we are faced with the fact that our country is in deep, deep trouble.

The insanity continues when McConnell states unequivocally that he will not be impartial in a Senate trial on the articles of impeachment – when the very oath he is required to take states: “I solemnly swear (or affirm, as the case may be) that in all things appertaining to the trial of the impeachment of the (person being impeached) now pending, I will do impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws: so help me God.”

It should be noted that the oath quoted above is one that every Senator must take in order to participate in an impeachment trial. This oath is over and above – and different from – the oath they take as Senators.

Not a Day for Revelry

It’s because of this fundamental breakdown of our ability to agree on simple facts and adhere to logic and reason and a sense of fairness and truth that I find the state of our country terribly distressing – and depressing. If we can’t agree on what is up and what is down, if we can’t agree on what is truth and what is a lie, we cannot expect to have a functioning society, much less a government that is sustainable and respected.

This is a day – and an era – of moment.

(T-709)

Things Are Weird Out There – Day 302

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Owl Moth

Things Are Weird Out There

I don’t know about you, but I’m finding my sense of what’s going on in the world, both on a macro-level and on a very personal, day-to-day level, to be chaotic and bordering on overwhelming.

I’m amazed, I guess, at the intensity with which we are being asked to live our lives nowadays.

I look back on my journals from 15 or 20 years ago (and even further back) and I honestly feel as though we lived in another age. And by that I mean when I read my entries and contemplate how we lived our daily lives, it feels like life back in the ‘80s and ‘90s is as foreign to us now as “Little House on the Prairie” days looked to us then.

When You Really Think About It…

We are witnessing a time in the world’s evolution that could, conceivably, make or break the entire planet. What an outrageous and outlandish concept. We’re literally and very probably fiddling around taking the smallest of steps to change our energy usage (for instance), when in a year or two, if we do not drastically change our ways in one fell swoop, we almost certainly will be facing cataclysmic, made-for-tv-movie events in our lives on a regular, probably monthly, basis.

I cannot for the life of me understand why addressing the very real, very tangible effects of climate change hinges on whether or not people ‘believe’ climate change is ‘man-made’ or not.

Regardless of ‘whose fault it is,’ it behooves all of us to LOOK. AT. IT. Doesn’t it?

Who cares whether there have been other times in the history of our planet when the atmosphere naturally warmed and caused massive sheets of ice to melt? When those things happened, it changed the course of evolution, didn’t it? And if the plants and animals living at that time could see that, if circumstances continued to unfold the way they were those plants and animals would become extinct, and if they had had the technology and awareness to stop those changes from taking place – wouldn’t they have done so?

Does it really matter whose ‘fault’ it is?

What Is Wrong With Us?

The level of immaturity and utter nonsensical thinking, when it comes to refusing to take practical steps to save our planet (and thus ourselves), defies explanation.

Every day we see the current Administration deliberately rolling back commonsense efforts to make life better here on Earth. For instance, this Administration just rolled back the banning of the sale of energy inefficient light bulbs that was to take effect at the beginning of 2020. And they also are challenging California’s efforts to implement stricter emissions standards than those rolled back by the current Administration. This flies in the face of the usual stance of the Republican party that “states rights” be given precedence over federal regulations.

Sort of Like Dumping Garbage

I guess these attitudes are akin to the people who unconsciously (or worse, deliberately and consciously) dump garbage out their car windows – be it empty cigarette packs, cigarettes themselves, or used disposable diapers.

Every day I’m speaking with friends or clients or even just people standing in line with me at the grocery story who have a strange new look in their eyes. That look is one that says, to me, “I’m starting to freak the hell out. Life as we know it has become insane.”

What to Do?

When confronted with strangers in the grocery line, I do my best to catch their eye and smile. Laugh.

We pick up the cigarette butts and empty packs of Marlboros and dirty diapers dumped along the roadside. (Luckily, dirty diapers are a rarity, but still…).

We use the energy efficient bulbs regardless of whether the old ones are still available for purchase.

I do my best to hold a vision of a United States that leads the way in finding innovative solutions to our crises.

I do my best not to lose hope.

(T-809)

Creature Feelings – Day 267

Posted on by Lisa Weikel 4 Comments
Lurking Under the Leaves – Photo: L. Weikel

Creature Feelings 

I have so many thoughts and feeling coursing through me.

On the one hand, I feel tremendous despair over the state of our country at the moment – actually, the state of our world at the moment. The fear. The hatred of the ‘other.’ I despair that so many feel such profound helplessness – and the rage over feeling helpless – in a country of purported opportunity. I am sickened by the blame being deliberately stoked by those who hold the greatest power – and privilege.

On the other hand, I sense a sea change. I know, I know: it’s been thought before, especially when innocents, little kids, were slaughtered at Sandy Hook. Or when high schoolers were mowed down in Parkland and their surviving classmates passionately and eloquently demanded change.

Something Feels Different This Time

But this time, perhaps because the racism in the White House, as it’s being leveled against duly elected Congressional Representatives and so blatantly being trumpeted against entire American cities and their inhabitants, is so obvious that the hearts of so many of us are saying, “Enough.”

I don’t know what feels different this time, but something does.

Needed to be shed (Cicada shell covered in mud) – Photo: L. Weikel

The insanity has reached a tipping point. The old ways simply must be shed.

Good people – who I truly believe are the vast majority of our country – are waking up to the horror and banding together. We are beginning to realize that it really does start with each and every one of us taking stock of our truth, taking stock of our lives and saying, “If I don’t call it out, who will?”

If I Don’t Call It Out, Who Will?

All viewpoints do not demand nor deserve equal time. All arguments do not demand nor deserve to be accorded respect. Vapid talking points need to be treated as such. Idiotic assertions need to be dismissed for their utter lack of merit. Immoral, hateful rhetoric needs to be deemed utterly unacceptable. Cruelty needs to be shut down.

And we don’t need to use cruelty to fight cruelty, either. But we do need to stand firm. We need to stop attempting to persuade when there is an utter lack of shared facts, when there is a refusal to acknowledge even the most basic tenets of a shared reality.

 

We can be kind; but we must say no. And we must disarm the desperate.

Closed in fear? – Photo: L. Weikel

We Know the Facts

There is incontrovertible evidence that weapons of war – automatic and semi-automatic guns with high capacity magazines – mow people down. The only use these weapons have is hunting humans.

We must stop pandering to those who would argue that the sun revolves around the Earth – and would cite a conspiracy theory to make their case that it is so. For they are shameless. They will argue anything to confuse, to obfuscate, to claim victimhood. They are the same people who argue that “guns do not kill” (as if anyone is saying that guns shoot themselves) in order to thwart any meaningful regulation. It’s specious and astoundingly tone deaf, and blind, and disrespectful to all those who’ve suffered loss as a result of these insane attacks.

Gradually opening up – Photo: L. Weikel

We Must Take Our Cue From the Caterpillars

It’s time for us to take our cue from the caterpillars. We need to utterly and completely transform. We must go within, engage in collective self-reflection, and transform. We need to realize our systemic racism, the lies we’ve been telling ourselves as a society since our nation was first formed.

And we need to have the courage to just face it. We must acknowledge the depth of our shame in treating other human beings as ‘less than.’ And that starts with admitting the systemic obliteration of the people who lived on this land for thousands of years before Europeans even arrived or Africans were forced to relocate to these shores.

NO ONE wants to be exploited. NO ONE wants to be judged by superficial standards (the color of our eyes, the shade of our skin, the accent of our first language). NO ONE (except for perhaps the most damaged among us) wants to succeed simply to screw someone else over.

We must drop the fear. We must drop the rage. We absolutely must LEARN TO LISTEN to the feelings of others – and cultivate compassion and empathy for ourselves and each other.

We can do this. The vast majority of us already know this is possible in our hearts.

If we don’t say it, who will?

Let us transform.

Photo: L. Weikel

(T-844)