News as Entertainment and Irritation

Former Governer of The State of Minnesota, former professional wrestler, and of course, ever the tempest in the teapot former Navy Seal Jesse Ventura was on a surprisingly worthwhile, beyond all expectations resusitated show from the insipid doldrums of what became the shaddow of once fruitful Larry King Live, on CNN Piers Morgan the other night...

... and Ventura, besides lots of apt criticism of the Democrats and Republicans alike, made the observation as to how pathetic it is that now what used to be called the news has become entertainment, at times opinion, but indeed, hardly news.  I cannot agree more.

Then when I was living back in New Jersey for a spate the last year or two, surviving and taking care of my very old mother, ultimately in a very painfull hospice situation (daily tending her decline was not the hardest part, but all the social stratas with my siblings who I solemnly vow never, ever to see again while I am on planet earth), when my sister noted how obnoxious she thought Governer Chris Cristie was, to which I said:

"Thats exactly WHAT I like about him.  How irritating he is.  Thats exactly what they [all] need--a good kick in the ass!"

The same could be said of Donald Trump, Ted Turner, all unpopular if not egotistically maladroit as they are, each one of them, those few among the wealthy and powerful who will say how utterly messed up things are, refusing to quite saying pretty much that the only thing that MIGHT fix it, is swift, decisive action, if not alone then in making the truly painful decisions have to be made then of course, the real rub of it, 'EXECUTING on them'  Execution sounds so bloody,but we cannot have it all.  Its Hobson's Choice.  We are just not serious.

That is what I like about each of these persons, who in their own way say how much in jeapordy everything is.  And as such, the need for strength.  Why is stength so de rigueur, so utterly verboten?

There is a great fear of power in so called Democratic society, with the duly set fear of fascism, totalitarianism, authoritarianism.  'So called' because of the pretense of equality so omnipresent in our utopian flatland really mades reasonable rights that much worse.  We are not all the same.  Right or wrong, this idea that human resources will protect your dignity, or govenment create decency, that rule of law will make commerce fair and right many a wrong is just not reality.  'No one' really cares.  What is caring?  Doing something.  And what is doing something?  Doing something 'for real'.  What is doing something for real, 'meaning real business'.  Not fooling around, not screwing around.

The rivers are poluted, children not being raised properly, elderly and poor in great difficulities, but what do we have, some big grand jurry to to find out if former basedball star Roger Clemmons used steroid?  Or front page news for two weeks is whether Michael Jackson, who asked to be put to sleep each night on Propofol, whether his Doctor murdered him? No need to punish? No. The most important matters in society? No.  Or how many Doctors and Lawyers Anna Nichol Smith slept with, as executor of estate?  The dear woman had emotional pain.  Well, I do too.  We all do.  But I am not paraded around CNN, I don't get $14M like Prince William on my 30th birthday, where my big problem is whether to go 30% in bonds and 10% in commodities, or to sequester a multicurency money market in G7 countries or emerging market debentures.  No.

And yet in a way, about the only thing which can save us, if that were not a real fantasy at this point, is clear policy, policy driven by leadership, leadership by vision, and vision by understanding.  Understanding by great experience, experience driven by the discontent with living with the habitual way of being of most if not all humans of ignorance, arrogance, and stupidity.

What did the Buddha say?  "The way beyond suffering is the acknowledgement of suffering"  Suffering is real. And this idea that we sincerely want to be fixed is fantasy [1].  Despite statements to the contracty, we all want everything the same, that is the way humans are hard wired from prehistoric times.  Give me enough water, food, warmth, shelter, and sex and I will follow you anywhere.  Once we get that far, I want money, a phone, a car, a internet connection, and a Gmail account.  After that, I want a microwave with a refrigerator, then if I have all that, the ultimate, a place to live without heavy road noise PLUS a washer dryer that is not coin operated.  That is heaven.

Comfort in discomfort.

[1] Read:  Pay the price