Live cam at the Galveston seawall:
Land, sea, and sky endure from age to age--
but what about the human race?
So much is wrong, terribly wrong, with the nation and the world today, but I can't seem to bring myself to write about it. Longtime truckbuddies will know that I am quite capable of a good rant when need arises - but what good does my ranting do?
Beyond that, I sometimes feel I should at least express my thoughts "for the record" - but who cares? I started this blog on a whim and have continued it on the same principle. It's not like it will ever be a big Historic Document. And I have no posterity who will ever wonder, what did old Gramps think about this or that.
I have plenty I could say about all sorts of current topics - and my opinions are not always what perhaps my truckbuddies and other readers might expect. It's not about politics, but about right and wrong, good and bad, true and false. If I had the will to do it, I would lay about rather freely with a cudgel on the heads of liberals and conservatives alike. There is no one party or group or faction that has a monopoly on goodness or holiness or even truth.
As St. Paul put it, "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." That means nobody gets it right all the time. And democracy means nobody gets everything they want when they want it.
With the country so divided and torn, filled with screeching, irrational voices at both ends of the spectrum - not to mention flat-out lies and open calls to murder this or that person or group - what is needed is not a lone blogger's scribblings but a cause or person to unite around. I don't mean a demagogue or an ideology. What I do mean, I don't know exactly: something that draws together the best of human nature, willingly, not under compulsion or pretense. What I am sure of, though, is that without some centripetal force to unify us, this country will fall apart or blow up, and sooner rather than later. And that would be a bloody horror.
I was hoping against hope that Old Joe might be that unifier - but so far, that doesn't seem to be happening. The shrill voices are just getting louder and louder, and nastier too. I'm very afraid for the immediate future. You have only to read your history books to find out what happens when a country crumbles to pieces - or look around the modern world at all the failed states. Don't think it can't happen here. It's already begun.
I am old and infirm, and cannot do much good for anyone outside my home. All I know to do is pray - for our President, our country, and our world. And for peace, goodwill among men. It may not turn the course of events in the big world, but it doesn't hurt any. And it keeps me sane and centered: Hope is the anchor of the soul. That may sound arcane to a secular mind, but my spiritual-minded friends will understand.
I'm not sure why I keep this blog going. It used to be a daily routine, something to fill the idle hours of retirement with. But now I struggle to think of something pleasant and non-political to post once a week, if that often. And perhaps it's dangerous to do more than that in today's world. At any rate, one day I may just delete the whole thing and be done with it.
Well, them's my 2 cents on this windy autumn evening in Texas - what are yours? Maybe tomorrow I'll think differently, but there's no telling what will happen next. Keep an eye on the weather and take care, fellas.
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4 comments:
It's a true pleasure to visit you here for your thoughts, be they difficult, sweet, or amusing. Getting to know you virtually is a delight because it's clear you're a remarkable and fine man. You often say what I can't find to words to say.
Praying for the country along with you.
Too kind - but thanks so much for the vote of confidence. Appreciate you, buddy.
Keep the faith.
Well Russ, it sounds like it’s your turn for the blues! Our world is not perfect, far from it, but it’s more perfect for some than others. By chance of birth you've had education, and you have grown to become a very erudite fellow. By chance of birthplace, you have the means to use that education, and to communicate your thoughts. It may not be a perfect existence, but for some, those chances, those means, have still to be met or attained. For yet others, they may never be achieved. The Blue Truck is your own personal legacy to an imperfect society, your opportunity to educate and entertain those around you. Delete it and you diminish yourself. Besides, we’ve become rather fond of you. Don’t still that voice.
Thanks so much for the encouragement, kind friend. I'm not much of an educator, much less an entertainer, but I suppose one should do what one can and not fret over what one can't. So I'll keep broadcasting here on WBTR, for whatever it's worth to my faithful truckbuddies.
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