It’s a Crazy World Out There
I have no problem admitting I live in my own little bubble and I happen to like it here. I don’t subscribe to newspapers or magazines and we don’t pay for any television reception. The only radio station we get is our local WTIP and I rarely listen to it. When I am "tweeting" I sometimes notice the trending topics and wonder what or who they are talking about but for the most part I ignore them.
It all changes when I spend time in the Suburban with Mike. He loves Satellite Radio and his station of choice is anything news related. I try to tune it out or take a nap so I don’t hear it but usually snippets of news catch my attention.
Who could ignore some of the stuff that is in the news these days? A little girl who was left in the care of a man who had spent time in jail for crimes against children was beaten to death and dismembered by him. Another little girl taken from her home sometime during the night and is still missing. Then there is terrorism and beatings in other countries, starvation, natural disasters and so many other senseless acts of violence reported. But almost more disturbing to me is the talk about politics.
Mike loves to listen to politics on the radio. I really can’t handle hearing about people spending $10,000 per night on a hotel room or millions of dollars campaigning against each other. In one breath these politicians say they are average Americans and can relate to the struggles Americans are facing and the next breath they are talking about a vacation abroad for Christmas.
I would have loved to have one of these average Americans next to me when I was picking out furniture to purchase for last year’s Christmas gift last week. Mike and I have been married for 19 years but we have never bought furniture for ourselves. People have given us stuff they were getting rid of and that has suited us fine over the years. Unfortunately the furniture set that we currently have we got because someone wanted us to dispose of it and after five years of use the stuffing is falling out and the springs are so bad the kids can barely get out of it. Someone said to Mike, "So you finally want some new furniture?" His reply was, "Unfortunately no one has needed to get rid of any lately."
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not feeling sorry for myself and I know we are not even average Americans. We have a job, a roof over our head, food for every meal, clothing to wear, vehicles to drive and belongings galore. We spend our money but we usually spend it on experiences and toys for the outdoors. We just haven’t made furniture a priority. I’m sure the average Americans I mentioned in the paragraph above would have no problem spending $500 on a chair or sofa since most of them have spent more than that on a pair of shoes to wear to a party. The reality is there is nothing average about the people who are associated to the White House.
Even the people who talk about politics on the radio aren’t average Americans. How can they talk about a homeless person found dead from hypothermia one minute and then say it’s "OK" for someone else to spend a half of a year’s salary for another person on one night in a hotel? Who deserves a $10,000 per night hotel room? Who believes they are worth that when other people are struggling to feed their children? I know I don’t deserve new furniture or the things I have when so many others are struggling.
How has it turned into such a crazy world out there? It is so mentally draining to think about all of it. Is that how movie stars can feel ok spending thousands of dollars on a birthday party? They just don’t think about anyone else because they live in their own little bubbles too? I don’t know. But what I do know is the more I know the more upset I get.
If you’re like me then I suggest you read this long article about news. http://dobelli.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Avoid_News_Part1_TEXT.pdf And the next time I ride in the Suburban I’ll be wearing Mike’s new noise cancelling headphones he received as a Christmas gift this year so I can’t listen to the craziness on the radio and so I can remain in my own little bubble.