You almost certainly know a relative or a close acquaintance with whom you simply cannot discuss the major challenges of the day. In my case that's a great many intimates but that's also because I'm an inadvertent Cassandra.
We're all faced with a plethora of existential threats - some global, some local, some environmental, some medical; threats to our physical and mental health, i.e. cancer, Alzheimers, etc.;threats to our economy and our economic future, i.e. the emerging precariat, job churn, trade wars, recession, etc.; and of course the big threats, the existential threats such as climate change, nuclear proliferation and such.
We're encapsulated by this chrysalis of perils of such variety, scope and magnitude that we feel - and are - powerless, impotent. We're unable to address them with facts and knowledge and so we eagerly resort to belief. Many will respond to climate change with, "they'll think of something," and yet even "they" is amorphous, undefined. When, who, where, what, why are not to enter the discussion because it's basically a religious conversation. Manitou will fix everything. There, now eat your soup.
What's the difference between this ad and Donald Trump? It's all Snake Oil.
You have nailed it, Mound. We are all burdened with such people in our lives. My basic approach is not to bring up these 'contentious' issues with them, but if they introduce them, I rarely hold back. Such is the freedom conferred by advancing years.
You almost certainly know a relative or a close acquaintance with whom you simply cannot discuss the major challenges of the day. In my case that's a great many intimates but that's also because I'm an inadvertent Cassandra.
ReplyDeleteWe're all faced with a plethora of existential threats - some global, some local, some environmental, some medical; threats to our physical and mental health, i.e. cancer, Alzheimers, etc.;threats to our economy and our economic future, i.e. the emerging precariat, job churn, trade wars, recession, etc.; and of course the big threats, the existential threats such as climate change, nuclear proliferation and such.
We're encapsulated by this chrysalis of perils of such variety, scope and magnitude that we feel - and are - powerless, impotent. We're unable to address them with facts and knowledge and so we eagerly resort to belief. Many will respond to climate change with, "they'll think of something," and yet even "they" is amorphous, undefined. When, who, where, what, why are not to enter the discussion because it's basically a religious conversation. Manitou will fix everything. There, now eat your soup.
What's the difference between this ad and Donald Trump? It's all Snake Oil.
You have nailed it, Mound. We are all burdened with such people in our lives. My basic approach is not to bring up these 'contentious' issues with them, but if they introduce them, I rarely hold back. Such is the freedom conferred by advancing years.
DeleteAn excellent video, Lorne. There is no correlation between the abundance of information and the truth of that information.
ReplyDeleteWe live in ironic times, Owen, and we need more such hard-headed exposés.
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