some of the by-products of coming up in the 60's included social awareness coupled with common sense and ethical fortitude if you wanted to survive in a world that wasn't quite designed for the 'fringe' element we wanted to participate in - and, one would often learn from the heroes of the day that were on the leading edge, whose remarks, opinions, and behaviors would often land them in a heap of trouble - the rule of thumb being - stick to the facts of what you know, finesse rather than bully and, be loving - because 'love' was a big part of what our generation was trying to fill the void with ...
all that seems like forever ago, but we adapt - and many of us have tried to maintain those core beliefs in the face of opinions compounded by unfathomable numbers and shades of grey ...
it's almost impossible to have an idea or opinion without being refuted by contradictory evidence - evidence that can often be substantiated by its existence somewhere in cyber-reality ...
and for some of the old trail-blazers, it all seems like too much hostility and antagonism to be bothered - like the resistance to what has become the mainstream is similar to being a life preserver in a tsunami ... and being discounted or dismissed for impertinence to the pervading myopia adds insult to injury ...
besides, the militant and reactionary aggressiveness of the factions that often headline the news has more tooth for ratings and frenzy in the 'blame game' than debates on principle and common sense ...
there's a reason why the ratings keep mounting for the likes of Limbaugh, Glen Beck, Hannity, etc - and programming about wisdom and art is so hard to find [or even Ben Franklin and Thomas Paine] ...
i believe the discomfort i mentioned in the first paragraph began to escalate around the time of Bill Clinton's impeachment proceedings and Newt Gingrich's 'Contract with America' and crossed the tipping point when George Bush was dubiously elected President - since then, the 'pile of babel' has grown along with hypocrisy, distrust, and futility ...
Koyaanisqatsi ... that's the simple explanation ...
