. . .
J “or even ducky.”
. . .
K “Do you ask them or observe them?”
J “Both. Just engage in idle conversation about anything. And listen to them reveal themselves.”
K “Here too. I hear you and hear them. They are deeply and profoundly angry to the core.”
J “The anger is undigested and simmering. They are stewing and percolating in the toxic brew of hate and fear.”
K “And intimating even obliquely to one’s neighbor that he or she is disquieted can incite the listener to be defensive.”
J “And to reveal himself and herself even more.”
. . .
K “The Constitution is silent regarding ‘happiness,’ yet when declaring independence we as a country aspired to the ‘pursuit of happiness’ as one of our core national aspirations. ‘Happiness’ is a vexing and elusive thing.”
J “I am reluctant to proclaim ‘happy new year’ or ‘happy birthday’ or ‘happy groundhog day’ because it is such a hollow and shallow proclamation. How about ‘have a serene day’ and offer a smile and a nod instead?”
K “Have a ‘peaceful day’ is a workable declaration.”
. . .
K “My poll of foreigners is unscientific and likely accurate. Look at Canadians. They are happier. Look at Europeans. They are happier. America is causing much of the chaos in and exporting unhappiness to the world, yet so many fellow members of the planet are . . . happy.”
J “In the land of the freeway and the home of the Wave, there is not one American Dream, but rather a variety of American Dreams that are increasingly elusive and may now be unattainable.”
. . .
J “For so many today, keeping up with the Joneses is not adequate. Vanquishing the Joneses is the goal. And the Jones cannot afford to keep up with let alone vanquish their neighbors.”
K “No one is keeping up. The populace knows that they are being exploited, but most of them do not recognize the real exploiters. Some know that their government is a wholly owned subsidiary of the corporations. Both lie, cheat and steal at every opportunity every day.”
J “That makes me unhappy.”
. . .
K “A restive and restless people are not likely to rest.”
. . .
[See the e-commentary on the psychological consequences of unrelenting fear at “The Residue of Unrelenting Fear: PTSD Afflicts The Populace (August 28, 2006)”, the challenges trying to create community at “On Community (June 3, 2013)”, the diminishing role and relevance of the consumer and citizen at “The ‘Superfluous Consumer’ (July 27, 2015)” and the domestic American battleground described in “Charlottesville . . . Chancellorsville? (August 14, 2017)”.]
[See the e-commentary on this Patriot Day at “World Trade Center Building 7 And The AIA (May 18, 2015)”.]
Bumper stickers of the week:
Yuck Fou
Sick Fucker on Board
Be patient I’m reloading
e-commentary 