An Update Both Unfortunate and Hopeful

It's been a long time since there's been anything worth writing, but that doesn't mean anything has changed. The world goes 'round. There are still Americans and others occupying Iraq and Afghanistan. The Republican party has continued to work to ensure the continued decline of the United States. Defiant ignorance is not on the wane, its ascendance seems to be the driving force behind the inevitable decline of an occasionally great nation.

A decade has passed since September 11, 2001, and a wide swath of our fellow citizens remain convinced that the Saddam Hussein had something to do with the hijackings and attendant catastrophes. Some of the most profitable companies in the United States continue to be connected to oil and warfare. There is so much wrong with this that the analysis alone would fill volumes.

Discourse becomes ever more shrill and facts less and less valued.

It's depressing, but there remain pockets of beauty and joy. Seek them out. Revel in them. Praise their creators. Smile more than you think necessary, because it can make a difference in your own happiness. Plus, your neutral expression is how people who don't know you perceive you. Are you one of those angry folk or are you up to something wonderful?

"Practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty." Really. It will make a difference.