hopelesshappiness.com

Despite more than six decades of experience and training, I am still not fluent in the political or cultural language of America. I consistently misinterpret and find myself wandering aimlessly between the lines, words, and letters. Perhaps I am a slow learner.

Whereas I may see injustice, heavy-handed justice, and/or selective justice as an opportunity for learning and improvement, looking around it feels like most of us see it as justification for intolerance, disdain, entitlement, and indifference. We are so wrapped up in self-serving judgment we misinterpret and ignore abuse that presents as lawfulness, authority, and due process. Couple this self-serving judgment with a system that traps us in the moment and we are left blind to the longer term consequences of our actions and with no vision (and perhaps no possibility) for a future that includes Humanity. Furthermore, because we are unwilling hostages in any given moment, when we have a free moment in which we can choose our actions, we too often choose to stay in the easy moment, wasting the opportunity to work ahead even toward the next few moments. We have been conditioned to maintain status quo.

Though I (claim to) see injustice as a learning opportunity, and though I believe I work to improve this moment as well as the next few, I still too often find myself unwillingly trapped or choosing ease and comfort. It is distressing to me that my arguments for choosing ease are relatively sound:

• My efforts otherwise to this point have borne no fruit.
• I am only one person.
• I am not in a position of great (or even slight) influence.
• Who am I to say how things should be?
• It is not my concern.
• It is easier.

It is these arguments that keep the majority, the majority, and the powerful, powerful.

I am learning - despite your concerted lack of effort (intended or not) to keep me from it. I don't believe (on any front) it is a personal attack, rather apathy here, fear over there, pretentious ignorance from my flanks, and perhaps some bias sprinkled throughout. This is true on both small and large scales. As a nation we encourage divisiveness, fear, bias, and lack of effort - both in learning and in teaching; all to maintain status quo.

• Most of our children learn that it is most comfortable to get by and fade into the background.
• Some of our children learn that by disrupting their environment they can put forth less effort toward learning and increase personal influence / power and swap condescending judgment of one sort for a more desirable sort.
• A few of our children are taught at home that they are above the fray and effectively join the ranks of most of our children; but sometimes also instigate and encourage disruption.
• A few of our children learn that learning is an uphill battle; and they are discouraged; and many of these few often fall back to join the ranks of most of our children.

And we carry these lessons into adulthood not only as they impact our personal learning but also as they dampen our enthusiasm for teaching and training - for helping others to improve and contribute. I believe that bad boys and girls receive an inordinate amount of attention compared to those who would benefit more and those who truly want to learn. This I believe is especially true in childhood in formal (K-12) education and in smaller groups including the family but carries through to adulthood perhaps more under the guise of apathy or indifference.

In adulthood, we often justify our lack of effort by convincing ourselves that we too are above the fray; or, like me, we are discouraged and give up on or give in to large scale bureaucracy. I still work very hard though to make a difference within my (very small) personal circles of possible influence. I am learning.

With perhaps half a dozen part-time exceptions, the last time I walked to work was in the last week of February 2025. Now here I am in the first week of March 2026, in a new job, in a new house, in a new town, walking to work. I left the house at 6:58, passed McDonalds at 7:21, and arrived at 7:30. Perhaps by walking again, I will recapture the focus that has eluded me in recent months. Perhaps by walking again, I will learn and think and write with renewed vigor. Perhaps.

• Life lived.
• Possessions accumulated.
• Surroundings reimagined.
• Ritual updated.
• Longing humbled.
• Time unraveled.
• Life lost.