I understand and find myself feeling this way more often than not. But I am hopeless, too much history makes it clear to me that humans(esp. those of the white western variety) are incapable of, and will never in my increasingly brief existence, behave in any reasonable way that will inspire hope for real change. There’s always the chance for short term improvement, which is valid and important, and I am on it, because I don’t want to die without some hope. So, how do you feel about well informed, psycologially balanced, honest, and realistic hopelessness? I am thinking a lot of us on these pages might understand that. But, what the hell do I know - other than far too many humans are self-destructive, ignorant, greedy, and, well, hopeless. We may be talking about the difference between radical up from the roots change of humans and short term betterment by reform of systems. Yeah, that is what we are talking about. And we should keep talking about it. I will pull out my copy of The Myth of Sysiphus. That’s always energizing and calming. Thanks for making me think.
I watch this guy almost every day. Today he says the rumor is that The Russians will be sending some recently “mobilized” soldiers to the action with 2 weeks training.
Maybe look beyond humans. We’re not that important, in the scheme of things. I like humans fine, I’m fond of many of them, but I like cats a lot. There’s a cat named Paddy (his patron is Irish) who lives up the street. He’s a great cat and will run out to greet me if he sees me and he’s in the mood. I imagine he thinks I’m nice; I would be pleased and proud if that were true, at any rate. My own best cat, well, I’ll never forget him. One night he jumped up on the north-facing window sill and we both watched as the Northern Lights put on a show in southeastern Pennsylvania because of a huge magnetic storm the sun had belched out. I put my hand on his shoulder and we sat and watched the unearthly beauty of it. There’s more to the human experience than humans.
Agreed. I lost my best friend dog (one of many over a lifetime, but this one was unique) this past Tuesday at 2 a.m. She died at home (cancer plus old age) and I have already begun to look for another doggo companion - not to replace her, that’s not possible - but to have another companion heart beat in the house. I will give much and I will receive much. I have had much better luck in this regard, with dogs and cats, than in finding another human companion after my husband died 20 plus years ago. I wasn’t lazy - I tried several times, but . . . each fail was uniquely it’s own. So, I agree. And I have many lovely family members and friends, so I have not abandoned all humans, but I am not sure I want one around all the time.
The EU faces a dilemma as the numbers of young Russians still crossing the Finnish border increases. Many are educated and/or elite-tangent, not poor or minority from outside St. Pete or Moscow. OMON, the special secret police units of the National Guard or living as a coward? With the Finnish border getting much harder to cross next week there will be even more chaos. Conscription lists are secret, so anybody under 65 can conceivably be grabbed, although 40 seems the de facto ceiling in most places unless you’ve really pissed off the authorities.
And there we have it. It’s all about the National Guard (Rosgvardia) in advancing Putin’s plans from this point.
Oh, I’m sorry. It’s one of the hardest things. And I’m not saying humans are bad, or anything categorical like that. Just that we’re a long way from perfect and probably always will be. I don’t want to judge the whole thing based on what humans do. We can be magnificent, and less so. 
Talenti dark chocolate, for me!
Kate, It may be meaningful to take a look at Students For Fair Housing v Harvard. I’m told the plaintiffs (supported by conservative activists) take the opposite approach to Congressional authorization of individual rights of action (as compared to their approach to the Marion County Health litigation.
Denys Davidov and Operator Starsky are the Ukrainians that I keep up with. Also Perun which is a podcast from an Australian navy logistics specialist who takes it to the literal nuts and bolts.
Couldn’t get him up the elevator to see the view? I expect something will find him at ground level.
Looks like Rudy Flatula has been flouting the law. He’s been declared in contempt because he did not show up in court. I suppose he thought that he did not have to since he longer had a law license.
Spot on, arrendis, about cynicism v. pessimism. For over 40 years I, an optimist by disposition (it has nothing to do with intelligence or not being depressive – I figure “disposition” is vague enough to work), have lived with a pessimist (also not a depressive, and he is very intelligent) who is not at all cynical. As a pessimist who is not a cynic, he tends to dwell on worst-case scenarios, but since he is not cynical, he is also an activist who works to avert those scenarios. As an optimist, I work to do so, too, but with less intensity than he does yet with visions of the better world we all might create together. I guess it takes all kinds. I mean, it does take all kinds to get things done, working in concert, however messily. Maybe even cynics have a place in this takes-all-kinds world (so my optimistic disposition leads me to think).
I don’t know how many times, at loggerheads with my husband over stuff about children or finances, I have quoted Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar: “A coward dies a thousand deaths, a hero dies but once.” My pessimist-not-a-cynic husband has easily died a thousand deaths but somehow has been revived to fight another battle, while I-the-optimist still await being accorded my status as hero.
Life is grand!
The U.S. government of the time was not eager to pay the political costs of facilitating an influx of Jews. It was political calculation callously dooming people to the camps, a thing that was understood among the relevant officials. We do it now. These people who walk here from Mexico, from Guatemala, from all over the vast areas south of us, they’re desperate and they have nowhere else to go. But we’re in a place now where we openly doom our own citizens to an agonizing death for political expediency. We say Aunt Betsy should wish to die, to keep the economy humming. Words fail.
I know campaigning is part of the candidacy, but candidates also have policy positions and experience unless they’re Andrew Yang. Hillary’s policy positions and experience made her a great candidate, and I believe the number of people who believed in positions but didn’t vote for her because she didn’t visit Wisconsin enough would have been pretty low.
I’ve yet to finish the essay, but a writer in the latest Harper’s says changing the SCOTUS could come back to bite us in unintended ways.
they’re desperate and they have nowhere else to go.
The parallels with us turning away shiploads of Jews in '39 and '42(?) are heart-rending.
ETA: One refugee MAY have been a German spy and “threat to national security” was the excuse we manufactured to turn them away. Then we locked up Japanese Americans.
Back in the 70s when my father in law was still on this side of the grass, he told me that GOPers were always bastards serving only the rich. He never ran for office but knew the politics of the 20s and 30s.