More Random Thoughts

The Middle East needs a community improvement project akin to The Marshall Plan in post-WWII Europe. From 1939-1945, the Allies blasted, bombed and broke the European continent in the steadfast effort to destroy the Nazi regime. Afterward, Europe was rebuilt and emerged modernized and stronger. The same can be accomplished in the Middle East...but there must be the uncompromising will to blast, bomb and break before rebuilding in order for it to join the modern world. Otherwise, we will continue to confront hostility and terrorism from regions seemingly unchanged since the time of the prophet that shall not be drawn. As it stands right now, though, it seems some have lost - or more accurately never had - the will to maintain the effort in favor of grandiose delusion and narcissistic self-promotion.

The two actresses America Ferrera and Vera Farmiga are the female version of the celebrity brain-twister game of Dermot Mulroney and Dylan McDermott. Given the continuing trend in Hollywood, the four should remake the 1969 movie, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice. The entertainment value just from hearing critics and journalists stumble over their names alone would be worth the price of admission. Besides, its subject matter on honesty and openness in questioning notions about love and sexuality seems ripe for an updated version in this era of same-sex marriage and gender transitioning debate.

Once upon a time, yellow and blue made green. At the very least, you knew for certain that the plastic bag was properly sealed. Now, blue and purple make for a hopeful guessing game of frustration. There are many “modern” items, though, that have violated the age-old “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” rule, all in the name of so-called “progress.” You didn’t dare squeeze the Charmin®; now bears doing their business in the woods worry about it adhering to their hindquarters. Things were either Hefty® or they were wimpy; you knew which one to buy. Calgon® was an “ancient Chinese secret” that could take you away; now, it would be considered a stereotypical racial insensitivity that could put you away.

The history of agriculture and humanity’s development because of it is a familiar one taught since elementary school. But, there is an underlying element: a desire to alter perception. Before humanity even thought about cultivating crops, we as a species have experimented with all kinds of mind altering substances - alongside those gathered and hunted for nutritional sustenance - since the beginning of our existence. How else to explain such “primitives” discovering and using them in their daily lives and communal rituals; as Hydra says, “discovery requires experimentation.” From tobacco to cocoa, farming only made it easier. In the modern era, moral grandstanding and prohibitive legislation aimed to curb these desires essentially are antithetical to humanity’s history of drug use.

Who knows you best? Is it the first person you ever met, or maybe the last one? Every time you meet someone new, you must share your life story with them. Or, at least a condensed snippet of it. What you share is what they know, so different people may, and probably do, know different aspects to your life. Your closest friends may know about your habitual fantasy world, while your friends-with-benefits maybe know only your deepest fantasies. Over time, this becomes exhausting to acquaint and indoctrinate these to the latest member of your ever-expanding circle. It explains why some find it a challenge to embrace new people. Upon occasion it just feels good to re-connect with an old friend who already knows you, rather than attempt to connect with a stranger - because they can take you away, without the prerequisite experimentation. 

©2015 Steve Sagarra