"It's the End of the World as We Know It"

"And I Feel Fine".

So sang REM.  And it's true; every day the world ends as we know it, and the dawn brings new challenges and new opportunities.  Let's take a look at some of the things along the way in 2011.

1.  More politics.  It seems government is nothing but politics today; it's not about governing, but bickering.  The US government has become the biggest dysfunctional family in the world.

2.  Horrific scandals in religious and scholarly circles.  We're talking pedophilia on a massive scale here folks, by people we were promised could be trusted.  If you can't trust your religious leader or your coach, where do you turn?  Counselors?  Yeah, I've heard that one.

3.  Can you say corruption... there, I knew you could.

4.  Unemployment claims go down, but only because so many people have simply given up.  

5.  Remember when teachers, cops, fire fighters, combat troops, and other civil workers were paid like CEO's?  Yeah, me neither.

6.  According to the latest report, 22% of all government workers make $100,000 or more per year.  Guess who pays for that?
7.  North Korean leader Kim Jong Il died and his son (and a few helpful associates) now continue the inflammatory and cold-war rhetoric-laden pronouncements toward the civilized world at large.  Of all the dictatorships in the world, this one worries me the most.

8.  The Occupy Movement continues to be ignored by media (wonder who paid them off?) and politicians (who won't touch anything remotely controversial in the current debates).  Remember that thing called the Constitution?  And the Bill of Rights?  Neither do local police forces.

Why am I saying these things?  

Well, because even as we live our lives and bad stuff happens all around us, we have to move on.  Each day may bring an opportunity we've not had, to succeed in our chosen field, or a new field we take a chance on.  We cannot "turn on, tune in, drop out" (as many said back when I was SOOOOOO much younger).  Any prospect given must be scrutinized. Any chance taken.  Any stone already turned must be turned again.  For those simply looking for a living or pursuing a dream, no one should ignore the signs of opportunity in whatever form they come.  

Writing is like that... every day.  Whether it's in the plotting of a new chapter, introducing a new character, or looking for a break with an agent or publisher, the challenge is always there before the author.  Sometimes things go smoothly, and the story seems to almost write itself.  Other times it's a struggle just to get a couple of paragraphs to make sense, because your brain has run out of creativity and no matter how much you want to write, the words won't come.  

If you're among those having a tough time in the world right now, I understand.  We've all been through the hardships, some more than others, but we persevere and make it through.  
In our writing group when one of us is stuck on a plot point, character issue, or general lack of ideas, we talk it through.  I would humbly suggest if you are having a life-crisis of any sort, find friends or professionals to talk to.  Ideas flow and solutions you haven't thought of may appear and guide you in your troubled time.  And just maybe, 2012 will bring a new beginning as said, a better one, and truly you can say "I Feel Fine" when you start to put your life back together.  

Buck up.  You can do it.  

REM was wrong.


PS: I wrote this a couple of days ago and pondered whether or not to publish it; it's not the type of thing I typically post.  But I decided to throw it out there and see if it would generate any comments.  Happy New Year.