And a Bored Dear Leader
Why, you ask? Because I am stuck at home in the cold staring at this
(Rhetorically speaking this year . . .)
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| Ah, the joys of winter - &%$##! |
. . . Rather than this
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| Walking on the beach in Charleston SC (and wasting good money on golf .) |
Yup, we're still here. Mrs DL selfishly wanted to go there with two good knees - can you believe it?! So she will be having surgery this month with a devoted Dear Leader by her side. (Well, not by her side during the surgery but, you know, later.) Anyway, if one has to be stuck here better this year than last.
So as I look outside with my nose pressed up against the window it occurs to me that this is the perfect time to clean up some loose ends i.e. ideas that I thought I would write about but kept getting interrupted by myself with other things that seemed more important at the time.
Since we're all bundled up and have nothing better to do, let us begin.
"Everthing is Crap"
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| Theodore Sturgeon |
Sturgeon's Law. Are you familiar with it? It’s a very a simple and concise explanation of modern life (in his opinion):
“90% of everything is crap.”
It was uttered by Ted Sturgeon, sci fi novelist, in 1950's. And boy, was he ahead of his time (in my opinion.) At first he was just describing books but he – and others – expanded it to apply to pretty much everything. You know, as one looks around today he was probably right. Think of politics. 90% crap? At least. News? Check. Streaming stuff? Check. Music? Check. Professional sports? Check. Haircuts? Check. Tatoos? Check. Craft beer? Check. (Sorry, just being a contrarian jerk) Movies? Check. Bloggers? Check - no, wait!
You can make your own list but the point is (I think) that there are really only so many things in life that are truly worth our attention. Unfortunately, like the little girl looking for a pony at her birthday party we have to dig through lot of horseshit to find it.
Ped's Postulate
After a great deal of thought (over 20 minutes) and research I have developed a postulate that I believe enhances Sturgeon's law and takes better account of our actual experience in life:
90% of everything you think you know is wrong.
No matter the topic or subject matter, when confronted with the full information and facts you will find that you were originally at least 90% wrong.
Do I think of it as being cynical or pessimistic? Nope, just being honest. As a famous book (to which Sturgeon’s law may or may not apply to) said, “The truth will set you free.”Do We Have Too Much Democracy?
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| Yeah I know he'd be perfect but would this Dear Leader guy ever be dumb enough to accept the nomination? |
With the Iowa
caucus upon us the political fun really starts and it brings to mind
fond memories of an earlier time. The party bosses would sit around and listen to all the caucuses and primaries stuff, nod sagely - then ignore all that and decide which candidate the party would support. They would try to figure out which one had the most electability while generally supporting the party's platform. Far from perfect but they seldom gave us demented criminals or nursing home residents for candidates. But noooo, now all this democracy is killing us! These caucuses and primary elections are picking dopes (at all levels) who usually represent the most extreme/dumb elements of their party, no matter which party it is. Then, because we only have two viable parties (unlike most modern countries which have more) we are stuck with voting for the one we hate least. That's no way to run a country.
We have too damn much democracy!
On the Other Hand . . .
We have little shitbird less populated states like Rhode Island, Delaware, North Dakota and many others with 2 senators each just like New York, Texas and California which have many times their population. Yeah, yeah, yeah it was a deal made to get those twerps to go along with the Constitution but look what it's turned into. Today the Senate is split 51/49 but Democrat senators represent 186 million of us and the Republicans 145 million. Add the famed "filibuster" - 60 votes needed to pass almost anything - and you've got a REAL undemocratic goat rope. (Not to mention the poor Democrat senators are "working" 30% harder than the other yohos.)Okay, and as if that's not bad enough.
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| But the Electoral College wouldn't let me |
The silly electoral college takes the vote away from millions of people as well. In California and New York millions of Republican votes don't count because they are blue states so all the elector votes go the Democrat. The reverse is true in Texas and Florida - the stupid EC is a winner-take-all proposition. Ha - and the whole thing is not at all what was intended in the first place by the Einsteins that thought this goofy idea up 236 years ago! Anyway, that's how we ended up with 2 of last 4 presidents elected (and what beauties they were) despite losing the popular vote - and way too close to happening in the last election even though the winner won by 7 million freaking votes! Even better, if there's a tie each state gets one vote to decide the election - no matter their population. Oh boy, what could go wrong?
I tell you, we need more democracy!
(Too much or not enough, let's just pray there isn't a tie this year.)Deep breath . . .
Sorry, obviously staying home this
winter has made me a little churlish so I want to end on a positive note.
The Happy Place!
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| "Nostaa lampoa, Eino! "* |
Let's talk about the happiest country in the world. Would you care to guess which one it is? (no cheating!) No, it's not the good old US of A and no we're not number 2 or 5 or 10. USA! USA! We're #15! We're #15! Right after Ireland and before Germany (Take that you oompah playing putzes!) Not bad considering how screwed up we seem right now.
So who is the lucky winner? Well, the common impression of the people of the top country is that they are quiet, introverted, like their privacy and Sahti beer. (hint) So what makes these folks so happy?
1) They have a deep connection to nature. (Just like me. What? Golf counts!)
2) They have many friends (real friends, not FB ones) and a strong relationship with their communities. (Check - sorta.)
3) They seek simplicity: the simpler the life, the better; less is more and not consumed by consumerism. (Well that seems kinda unreasonable.)
It doesn’t hurt that like most Scandinavian countries they have good government-provided healthcare for all, free excellent education, great work-life balance and a strong safety net. (Can you believe trading all that freedom just for happiness?!)
So, number one - for the 4th year in a row is . . . Finland!
They are not noted for smiling or boasting about how great they are or how much stuff they have. In the end, I guess Finns have a different definition of what happiness is than most of us. You could say that they are a poster child for being happy with what you have and who you are. That comes from having a realistic understanding that life can be unpredictable, difficult and unfair so they match their expectations to that reality and thus they are happy. Simply stated, they seem to practice the ancient philosophy of Stoicism. (Which would make a Stoic neighbor of mine almost want to move to Finland.)
I know we will never be like the Finns and I am pretty certain the US will never be number one in happiness i. It's just not a priority. Maybe the best we can do is to hug our kids, try not to be a jerk and hope for the best. (Yeah, I'm probably projecting here.)
* "Crank up the heat, Eino" in Finnish
Time to Go.
It's okay, don't worry, I have a whole bunch more ideas to foist off on you share soon so stay calm and carry on.
I think I can tackle the rest of the winter now. The worst must be over, right, it's already up to -10 outside. The days are getting longer, nights are getting shorter - soon it will be time to get out the leopard print speedo! I feel better, don't you?
Anyway stay warm, my friends, it’s only 5 months until the summer solstice. (Oh crap, that just ruined the good vibe!)
PS
Do NOT watch "You Are What You Eat-Twins Experiment" on Netflix if you ever want to enjoy a meal again! (It is fabulous nonetheless.)
Some Appropriate Winter Music
White Winter Hymnal Pentatonix
Hazy Shade of Winter Simon and Garfunkel
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