An article I read on a website began this way:
“We live in uneasy and downright queasy times.”
Oh good. So it’s not just me. Now I know it’s just the times I live in. It’s the Weltschmerz. It’s the angst. It’s the world-weary ennui. It’s the melancholy. It’s the existential dread.
But why should the times we live in make us queasy?
Is it —
- devastating hurricanes
- corrupt politicians
- demoralizing tweet-storms
- cyber-attacks
- mass shootings
- fake news
- North Korea, Iran, and Russia
- nuclear calamity
- world-ending asteroid
- creepy clowns
- zombie apocalypse
- all of the above
The Roman orator Cicero put it this way: O tempora o mores — “Oh the times! Oh the customs!” Cicero was deploring the viciousness and corruption of his age.
But maybe I’m over-thinking this. Is life really so depressing, so discouraging? Yes, it is. If you think otherwise, then just continue living in your bubble and whatever you do, don’t read the newspaper. Don’t turn on CNN.
But for the rest of us, I have good news. I’ve found the solution for these queasy times, and it’s four simple words. Pass the vodka, please.
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