I was just talking with a friend of mine, and we were commenting on how cranky we both have been this past week. Perhaps it was the trip that I took, which still is taking a bit of a toll on me (man, I must be getting old!). It took a physical toll, on some level. But it also just wore on me, because it seemed filled with problems from beginning to end.
My sleep patterns have yet to return to relative normality since returning, and they have not really been "normal" to begin with in a long while. After all, what can you expect, when you work overnights?
And I noticed something in my years, now. Not being a stranger to depression, sometimes it really is instigated by fatigue -and the more severe the fatigue, the more severe the depression. You think about all those things that you can get depressed about - all of life's general stresses, like feelings of inadequacy, problems in a relationship, or longing for a relationship with someone that just does not seem all that interested, or money problems, or having a job that degrades you, feels beneath you, or perhaps, not having a job at all. And those are just some problems that might instigate depression.
Yet, I have to admit, sometimes, I feel a certain level of despair, and after catching up on sleep, I feel much, much better. Hell, downright cheerful, at times! It truly is amazing, and I wish I knew what I know now when I was younger, during my pre-teen and teen years. Maybe I would have felt a bit better. Or, at the very least, not so bad.
Still, this is a harsh world, so let's make no mistake about that. Depression is not usually considered a good thing but, that said, it can be a hell of source of artistic inspiration. That includes writing, and I think that I have done some of my best writing while depressed.
As bad as it feels, we can always find some silver lining or other if we look hard enough, right?
So, with that in mind, I can think of some ways to reach depression. For me, one way that I used to reach it was by looking and thinking about my receding hairline, and at such a young age! I worried and fretted, but need not have. In truth, life did not even change all that radically once I went ahead and shaved it all off. It was not the personal apocalypse that the younger version of myself had half-expected it to be. My life is not over. Not even close!
There are other ways to get depressed, as well. Perhaps the most consistent, and probably the most addictive way, is to try to remain abreast of what is going on in the world. To be well-informed, to care enough about this world to pay attention to what is going on in it. Perhaps that is why so many people seem not to bother. And when many people don't bother, of course, things only grow worse, as they are doing now.
You almost don't know which poison to pick.
But I have chosen to at least make an attempt to try and stay informed, and not sugar coat it by only believing what I want to believe. It sometimes amazes me, how much people are swayed into believing what they wished were true. I was just thinking earlier about the 2004 elections, when both conservative and liberal friends of mine were amazed, jaws almost dropping, when I predicted that George W. Bush would get another term in the White House. It was clear to anyone who knew me that this was not what I wanted, not at all. Still, you have to resign yourself to reality, don't you? I couldn't understand why so many people who, like myself, had been offended by the prior four years, could not fathom that the same people that gave Bush one term in the White House in the first place would be unwilling to admit to a mistake, and would put him right back with another four years. It was wrong for the country, and wrong for the world. Wrong message, for that matter, for other potentially dangerous leaders to get, as well. But that does not change reality.
And the reality is, things have gotten worse. I was not on Obama's huge bandwagon in 2008, although I welcomed the change. But his two terms in office so far have not looked radically different than those of the man who preceded him. That message, the same dangerous message of growing, mostly unchecked corporate power has continued ever onward. There is more surveillance, and there are still wars. The economy has not drastically improved for the average American, by and large.
The difference. then, between George W. Bush, and Barack H. Obama, seem relatively subtle. Corporations still are favored. Their interests are met, and that at the expense of the vast majority of the American people, for that matter. This tendency, actually, goes back several decades, predating either Obama or Bush. But it has been greatly accelerated in recent years, and has made life more difficult for a huge majority of people living within American borders. And unfortunately, much like American music and movies, American influence in this regard has grown, so that other countries have adapted certain aspects of this mindset, and often, flirted with others. Luckily, though, other countries have laws in place that prevent the kind of dismantling of the system of laws that protect their people. Plus, let's be honest: the people would have a huge revolt if some of these benefits were challenged in other countries. The possibility of reforming Canadian healthcare was roundly rejected, and the opposition was widespread, transcending linguistic and geographical differences. And just try taking away other benefits in other nations, such as affordable childcare, or long maternity leave that does not bankrupt the family having a child, or entitlements to vacation time more appropriately measured in weeks, not days. France has five weeks vacation. Germany and Australia have six weeks. People in those countries are willing to fight to maintain these benefits.
In America? Not so much, evidently.
And that is not good news. Perhaps American conservatives encourage this behavior, largely for self-serving reasons, and yes, that is depressing news. But then again, let us remember that this mindset has not carried over to all of those other nations. Let us remember, the United States remains alone among the industrial nations for still not having an adequate and universal health care system, even after decades of controversy within American borders about the inherent (and predictable) unfairness of it all. It is the same with paid benefits, such as affordable childcare, or vacation time. Also, another crucial issue that, like all of those others just mentioned, are routinely (and largely universally) mocked within American borders: the environment. Other countries tend to do more- and far more, at that - towards trying to curb pollution and promote a healthier environment. Not as much as they should most likely. But far more than the US does.
Why, then, are Americans, so surprised that much of the rest of the world seems to resent American attitudes? It is not even so much the difference in policies, or even political beliefs. Let's face it: it is the dismissiveness, and the mean-spirited mockery, that largely prevails within American borders. It is the spirit of cynicism that finds it's clearest expression in a false positive (or what masks itself as a positive statement), namely America's assumption of superiority. How many times can Americans pat themselves on the back, and claim, once again, that they are "the greatest country in the world", the "shining city on the hill", or chant "USA #1"? How many times will Americans automatically assume that the rest of the world somehow owes them something, at least some token measure of gratitude? The United States may see itself as the "leader of the free world", but the reality is that the people of plenty of other nations, recognizing the triumph of arrogance and cynicism in the US, already have long ago stopped looking to the United States for an example of how they should run their own countries.
It hardly seems a stretch these days to say that it is easy to see that a culture of selfishness has taken over in the United States. Far too many people have given in to their worst instincts, and the results speak for themselves. After all, how else could an unfair economic system, known as "trickle down economics", that was discredited for having led to the Great Depression, and which also was responsible for the economic crisis in 2008, and the general economic malaise that has followed, still be seen as the most viable option for the country, and if American neocons had their way, the world? In defending this system, those who most strongly advocate it have largely turned to rehearsed skepticism of any and all beliefs that contradict their own. They have made politics a form of entertainment, and that is why politics in the United States seem so absurd, so damn ridiculous and even laughable. One problem in the United States these days, I think, is that everything, literally everything, is judged by how much entertainment it provides. And stories that actually reveal the bankruptcy of the American way of life just are not very entertaining. In fact, they're a bummer, man. And so, they don't get much air time. How can they compete with ridiculous reality shows that continue and expand upon already prevalent themes of clicks and backstabbing and mockery? That is how the poor, far from being sympathized with (particularly among self-described Christian conservatives) are looked down upon and ridiculed, and are seen not as victims, but as at fault for everything that is wrong with the country, and ironically, are viewed as sucking the wealth out of the country. It is exactly the opposite of what it should be.
With such a climate in the United States, it is hard for those who feel differently not to feel resigned and deflated. After all, the easiest thing in the world to do is be skeptical, to express cynicism of ideas, even of principles and morals. How, then, can some movement towards a truly fairer and, yes, better society even gain a foothold?
Well, one way is to travel abroad. To find out for oneself, and see with one's own eyes, how other people in other countries live. When I flew over the suburbs of Berlin earlier this summer, I saw a lot of houses with sparkling blue swimming pools, shimmering in the sun. The taxis in Berlin all seemed to be Mercedes, and Berlin had tons of tourist shops selling overpriced souvenirs of the city. In Krakow, there were so many expensive, trendy shops with the latest fashion, that I wrote in an earlier blog about my experiences simply trying to buy myself a pair of underwear or two when my luggage was temporarily missing, and being amazed that in downtown Krakow, I could not find a pair of underwear for under the equivalent of $35 US per underwear, and upwards of $60 US for each underwear! Again, for a pair of underwear! And this, in a city that was a part of a communist country a quarter of a century ago! Is this the "socialist" (which usually, to the American neocon mindset, seems to mean the neo-communist) system that Americans are warned against? Are these the long lines with limited goods to buy in understocked stores? Or, is this the export of the "free enterprise", capitalist system, that has largely triumphed the world over?
Most people in Poland were not as wealthy as Americans, and so they did not have multiple cars in newly paved driveways, true. But then again, most Americans are hardly "wealthy", for that matter. But Polish people seemed to be pretty well off, all told. They had their computers with fast internet access. They had their cable television. And yes, they had cars, often in garages. Just a little smaller than American ones, like most Europeans have.
I asked myself, like I have on previous trips abroad, "What are Americans so afraid about?" Was this such a bad life, as American neocons would have everyone believe? Particularly, the western European nations have traditionally been American allies, and lived under a comparable economic system, at least in the post-war years. Not long ago, the United States valued these allies. Now, they seem to view them almost as rivals, and some seem to view them as borderline enemies. And it boggles my mind, the difference, in a relatively short time period. Again, where does all this fear and, yes, even hatred (let's call it what it properly is, after all) come from?
If more Americans visited such places, they would see a lifestyle not radically different than their own. But these people don't have to worry about losing their homes or their jobs if they happen to get sick, or suffer some debilitating injury. They are entitled to longer and better maternity leave, and have more affordable childcare (for those who have children). They get more vacation time to enjoy, as well. Far more.
And again, the question that keeps rising back up in my mind: Why are Americans so generally dead set against this? Is the need to be the exception so strong, that it goes so far as to go against the best interests of the American people themselves? Is it really worth it?
So, probably the best remedy for the self-defeating emphasis on American exceptionalism would be traveling abroad.
Yet, knowing that benefits and salaries are on the decline in the United States, and that many are not even entitled to adequate vacation time, this may not be a viable option for many.
What else, then, can be done? Well, I think it helps to keep informed and, unfortunately, we cannot rely on the most convenient resources in our life to help us in this regard. The major American media sources are themselves the voice of special interests. They are owned by the wealthiest corporations, who have a pretty obvious agenda, when you are able to strip down and get past all of the hoopla. It would be nice to simply turn on CBS News, or NBC News, or ABC News, or CNN, or especially the FOX News, and hope to get decent quality, and relatively fair and accurate, news of the day. Unfortunately, the reality is that they indeed have an agenda, and the people that pay their bills often have vested interests in "developing" news. Just look at the lead-up to the Iraq invasion a decade ago, and the ridiculous mishandling by major media within the United States for proof of that.
But there are other ways of staying informed. Listen to and watch the news from other nations. I recommend the BBC and CBC, which are in English. If you can, listen to the news from other nations, if another language is not a barrier. I myself listen and watch news from French language sources in France, Belgium, Canada, Switzerland, and African nations.
Within the United States, PBS is pretty good, as is National Public Radio.
And, of course, go online for alternative sites to the big boys. For example, I like Alternet, which has some very provocative articles. And another is from Bill Moyers, a well known journalist with exceptional credentials. He has a team of reporters under him that work to reveal some of the deeper, and darker, truths within American society in particular. I have included some particular articles of interest, although it would not hurt to explore the site more generally.
These are some ways to keep well-informed and abreast of what is really going on the nation, when the major news outlets are going on in detail about Miley Cyrus showing her ass and imitating sex on national television.
So, here are some articles that I thought would be of particular interest from Bill Moyers web page:
In this article, an exploration of the heavy, and frankly excessive, opposition to more affordable healthcare:
Understanding the Right’s Obamacare Obsession September 2, 2013 by Joshua Holland
http://billmoyers.com/2013/09/02/understanding-the-rights-obamacare-obsession/
The Other NRA August 30, 2013 by Steven Rosenfeld
http://billmoyers.com/2013/08/30/the-other-nra/
An article here about the unfortunate trend that has gained momentum over the last few decades of giving more to those most privileged among us. We all remember the heated controversy over CEO's and Board members of major corporations and financial institutions giving themselves huge bonuses, right? Well, here is an article that we all should pay attention to. It's about these elites getting rewarded for poor work:
Paying CEOs Top Dollar for Poor Performance August 28, 2013 by Zoë Carpenter
http://billmoyers.com/2013/08/28/paying-ceos-top-dollar-for-poor-performance/
This article focuses on the tragic triumph of corporate America with the "temp" system, where workers are granted jobs temporarily, and are not entitled, in principle or in reality, to adequate salaries and benefits:
The New Temp Economy September 2, 2013
http://billmoyers.com/content/the-new-temp-economy/
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