This Life

The inside.

That’s where I’ve been for the last few days. Taking stock. Reviewing. Remembering. Celebrating and mourning.

The totals don’t look so good.

There may be a great opportunity to do something about that. As you know, I don’t ever want us to return to normal if we ever manage the virus. And, I don’t think we will. Normal is the past. I’m coming to believe that the American Age is coming to an end. The Asian Age is almost upon us.

While I don’t like the brutality, the Chinese have built a modern country. While we spent trillions of dollars on bullets, they spent it on cement. Think about our infrastructure. What could we have done with a trillion dollars?

I read another little tidbit. I checked it twice. It’s pretty much well known. Except to me.

Since the end of World War II, when America emerged as a superpower, there have only been 16 years that we wren’t engaged in some kind of war. 16 years, of peace. What a waste of human beings. What a waste of money. What a waste of time.

Based on everything that I’ve read, when we finally emerge from the pandemic, or at least from the horrific infection and death rates, America will no longer be a superpower.

Where to, from there.

That’s when the real changes start. I’d like to think that we all could do this together. I think that we are so polarized that we can’t even agree that a mask might help save lives. Or, that social distancing is needed. Crowds gathering proclaim that they are speaking for freedom. I think they don’t have the stoicism and fortitude to defeat anything.

I guess the good changes, whatever they may be, will be reserved for people who believe in science. The rest will start a war trying to enter the good places. They were mad from the start. That was their choice.

The Picture

We had a really cool sunset two days ago. The sky was bright blue. The clouds were orange and fluffy. I made a lot of pictures. I did a little work in post production mostly to give the image a more cotton candy-like feel. That’s all it needed. That’s all I did. It’s better to let nature do whatever she wants to do.

Stay safe. Stay masked. Keep your distance. Defeat the virus. Enjoy every cloud.