In the midst of heavy snow this fine spring morning here in the southern Rockies, something relevant dropped into my inbox.
I confess I never was much of a reader in my middle life, but Vonnegut was someone I respected highly. A friend from the old days in Austin, Texas sent me this quotation from a May, 2004 article of his (by all means read the whole thing) that remarkably addresses a very deep issue which has troubled me much lately. Have a look. I’m sure you’ll understand, and thank you, Mr. Vonnegut:
Many years ago, I was so innocent I still considered it possible that we could become the humane and reasonable America so many members of my generation used to dream of. We dreamed of such an America during the Great Depression, when there were no jobs. And then we fought and often died for that dream during the Second World War, when there was no peace.
But I know now that there is not a chance in hell of America’s becoming humane and reasonable. Because power corrupts us, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Human beings are chimpanzees who get crazy drunk on power. By saying that our leaders are power-drunk chimpanzees, am I in danger of wrecking the morale of our soldiers fighting and dying in the Middle East? Their morale, like so many bodies, is already shot to pieces. They are being treated, as I never was, like toys a rich kid got for Christmas.
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Another couple of quotes from Vonnegut I liked and I think you might as well, are ones that David Swanson included as part of his post about Vonnegut yesterday at AfterDowningStreet (http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/21178):
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“I know of very few people,” Vonnegut writes, “who are dreaming of a world for their grandchildren.” Later he writes this epitaph for the Earth: “The good Earth – we could have saved it, but we were too damn cheap and lazy.”
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“…I myself feel that our country, for whose Constitution I fought in a just war, might as well have been invaded by Martians and body snatchers. Sometimes I wish it had been. What has happened instead is that it was taken over by means of the sleaziest, low-comedy, Keystone Cops-style coup d’etat imaginable.”
Kurt blames many of our problems on a drug: “Can I tell you the truth? I mean this isn’t the TV news is it? Here’s what I think the truth is: We are all addicts of fossil fuels in a state of denial. And like so many addicts about to face cold turkey, our leaders are now committing violent crimes to get what little is left of what we’re hooked on.”
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All right, what do you propose the American people do about our leadership. Enough of the whining and constant despair! You and a multitude complain and knash the teeth with great abandon. To what effect?
What does this anguish do for me and my family. Should I recommend to my grandchildren that in order to not enjoy life, they should dwell constantly on the sins of our leaders who we reelect happily?
What did this pontifical pronouncement by Kurt get him? Death. In the end what will it get you? Unhappiness.
I say enjoy the wind and snow and a nice cup of tea.
Well Joseph, Thomas Jefferson had the answer for your first question. Beyond that, I guess whining is the only thing that’s halfway safe.
As for your grandchildren, enjoy them.
If I had kids though, i’d be urging them to find lives for themselves abroad. Seriously. I think we’ve been “tipped” here, if you know what I mean.
I basically agree with you about the wind and snow and a nice cup of tea, and thank you for reminding me. But I also can’t ignore the rest. I honestly don’t know how to handle it, and frankly, neither do most people I know. That we are in very different circumstances from those in which you and I grew up is undeniable, it seems. I mean, the U.S.A. is torturing people now as a matter of official policy. Incredible, isn’t it.
It isn’t “whining” to discuss the current state of affairs. As to what to do about it, many of us have done something about it – become politically involved and worked and donated to help those whose values we share get elected to congress. Changes are taking place now, however slowly.
We can’t fix everything, but it doesn’t mean we should just ignore it, either. And many, many of us are working, and staying aware, and helping others become aware, as John does here.
As to what to tell your grandkids, I would start with, “I’m sorry. I really should have done more to help make things better.”
Just thanking all of you for your comments here.
And I’d like to add that I do think I understand the main thrust of what Joseph is saying here, or at least where he’s coming from. It’s very easy to become completely tied up in the atrocities, which are quite stunning and mind-boggling in their scope and depth. Even so, that’s not everything, not by a long shot. My wife reacts just like J. if I get stuck in a place with no joy.
Every day’s a lesson. Today the sun came out, so I sat in it a while and fell asleep.
stupid monkeys, or as my buddy calls them “smart monkeys.” he also remarks “guns and monkeys don’t mix well.”
whining may not help, but there’s not much to do about it. there are a lot of stupid monkeys.
the good thing, they’re all gonna die.
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