I was naive enough to think that the country’s voters, when push actually came to shove-it, wouldn’t be over 50% stupid. I was wrong. I’ve never been patriotic as such, so I’m not going to worry about America’s descent into hell. If the country votes for this sacrificial idiocy, it gets what it deserves.
Also, since most everything in life and society is cyclical, if we can make it through the next 4 years without total disintegration, there will likely be some kind of rebound – possibly even a good one.
If I weren’t such a selfish person, I might try to use what talents I have to help fight back, to shine a light on reality, but I refuse to go on social media, which has proved to be the instigator of most of the shit of the last decade. Broadcasting invective while trying to help, I’d certainly make matters worse.
And I have to admit, this shitshow may prove a personal blessing. I’ve been having a hell of a time lately trying to focus on my writing, but now, with everything in the wider world lost to chaos, maybe I’ll be forced to spend these sad years catching up. Especially on finishing my Jenny novel.
I’ve never promoted my writing, so it has no following beyond a few friends. I want my work to read, of course, but it’s the work itself, not its reception, that matters most to me. The past week or two I’ve been sifting through the surprising heap of projects I’ve started over the years – novels, stories, even screenplays – but never pushed ahead with. There’s much there that I’m proud of… maybe as proud as I am of what I’ve already self-published, which I honestly believe is as good as any current fiction I’s aware of. And I don’t think that’s just hubris.
Yes, I worry about what my kids’ and grandkids’ lives will be like if the last traces of rationality dissolve, but they’re no longer “kids”; basically, I trust their personal and collective intelligence and survivability. They are far stronger than I ever was growing up.
As for all of you out there, thanks for putting up with me, and if, at any point, you find you can no longer do so, just ask me to drop you from my mailing list. No hard feelings whatsoever.
On the other hand, if you’d be interested in reading any of my”finished” work (three novels and a short-story collection) but don’t want to shell out cash through Amazon on a maybe, I’d be delighted to to send you a free copy in the form of your choice: .doc, pdf, epub, or mobi (for Kindle). I don’t need or care about the money, just getting it read by a few adventurous souls.
OK, you can wake up! I plan to sound off on something more interesting, next go-round.
lickhaven 