I am sitting here in Denver, being held captive by society. The lovely Mrs K and I have found a new friend called COVID and we ain’t going anywhere. On the mend and probably a little pissed off, but such is life. 

When one is cooped up we think of all sorts of ways to amuse ourselves. The plethora of TV channels, podcasts, E books, crosswords and the occasional scotch will pass the day adequately. But then a scary thing happens. I start to think or should I say wonder?

My first bit of revery entails Kathy and me. For the first time in my life I realize there is an end game. At 78 whether it is 10,15 or 20 years from now. We have chatted about it not in a fatalistic but realistic fashion. This COVID thing has brought home our firm desire to not be a burden on our kids and their kids. 

Speaking of children we have three starting off at college in a few short weeks. What an exciting and probably nervous time it is. You come into an environment where you know few if at all. Everybody is sizing up each other. Who will be friends and perhaps soul mates? I have picked this place to be my home for four years. I hope it works.

Our world can be turmoil or opportunity depending on the glass theory. There is so much out there that makes for success or disaster. I hope we don’t arrive at simple conclusions. Our problems are complex. They require thought, wisdom and collaboration to resolve. Forget about blame on how we got here. Egos and mistruths are are distractions. 

It is interesting at this time in our world we are so full of know it alls. Whether locally or nationally the last thing we need is a “my way or the highway” approach. Compromise is a melange of ideas.  A little from there and a little from there. Whether it is EV’s or immigration we have this need to go all in. If you are right that is wonderful. If you are wrong you go down a path that requires a U turn and a terrible loss of time and resources. 

With these critical times I wonder about out ability to govern ourselves. It is more than representatives. It is bureaucracies, municipalities, hospital systems, companies, churches  and armed services. We have failed critical tests in so many ways. 

I find it hard to trust people not for their abilities but for their morality. We have been let down by bishops, CEO’s, leaders of countries, coaches and universities. Am I being too harsh? Can we fall back on ,”We are all humans “ or is there really a disconnect between our definition of right and wrong?

Conscience is a crazy thing. Depending on your upbringing it is formed over time. The wardens are parents, neighbors, local customs or laws. The prisoners see a very narrow road or a six lane highway. As you move forward it probably gets wider. You go from black and white to grey in many ways. Many of us go right over the guard rails. Do you take off on an exciting journey or wind up hitting a tree without a seat belt? Interesting question. 

The role of parents and family is so underrated. Psychologists debate the proper way through countless books and articles. Schools often opt for personal freedom before the training wheels are ready to come off. To this day I believe we don’t let kids be kids. Probably we are forgetting to train parents to be parents. It all seems like such a bother. Eat, drink and be merry. 

Money is always on my mind. No, I think Kathy and I will get out the door with some to spare. Our last check doesn’t have to bounce. I harp on what I consider to be obscene wealth. How much does one person or family need? The absurdity of spending thousands on a concert ticket for our kids or the millions for a work of art is not just an observation by me. What is behind it?

Why do we want stuff? We all do to some degree. Some out of necessity. I get that. Some want to pick up their spirits. I will give you that. But upon introspection we do it to look good. We want people to think we are cool. When I drive my Ferrari or tricked out truck down the street I want people to look at me. It’s crazy but true isn’t it? We are defined by other people not ourselves. 

We are social people. We like to fit in somehow. We want to belong but we also want to stand out. We crave creativity but embrace normalcy. I chuckle at how often I ask myself should I speak up? Is this idea too wacky? Is this concept unique or have 15 million before me said the same thing? I think you know the answers to those questions. I don’t have a social death wish but I usually say,”Screw it!”

My biggest worries are homelessness, education, immigration, runaway healthcare costs and our ability to get things accomplished. Not necessarily in the order. I get frustrated by inactivity and foot dragging. I try to do my reading and studying but when it is time to do something I head out. There is hopefully a fifty fifty chance I get it  right.  

These are a few of the things that are buzzing around my little brain in quarantine this Sunday morning. I hope you have many things in yours. We are a great country and wonderful world. I hope we all think about it a touch more. God bless!

As always 

Ted The Great 

Factoids:

A study showed we may have 6 thoughts per minute or 6,000 a day. They can be divided between positive and negative but the latter seem to linger longer and eat at us. We ruminate without seeking an active solution. 

The number of single parent homes has decreased slightly over the last ten year. These are predominantly female single parents. Fewer couples are having children. 

Kathy and I are just two of 692 million people in the world who have gotten COVID. 6.9 million have died from this virus.We have had over a million deaths here the US. Probably 1/3 of those could have been avoided by vaccination. 

Wonder as a noun: a feeling of amazement and admiration, caused by something beautiful, remarkable, or unfamiliar.

Wonder as a verb: desire to know something; feel curious. 

If you are not necessarily religious your conscience can be derived from evolution. Survival has taught us to band together to keep one another safe. Aha! Could this perchance be, Do unto others?