Christmas is upon us! It seems like it comes around every year now. When I was young, it used to be once an eternity. How did that happen?
“None of us see the world as it is but as we are, as our frames of reference, or maps, define the territory.” ~ Stephen Covey
As we look back at 2022, let’s take a moment to cement a few memories before they become lost in time. After all,
“Memory never recaptures reality. Memory reconstructs. All reconstructions change the original, becoming external frames of reference that inevitably fall short.” ~ Frank Herbert
The year 2022 was quite the experience, wasn’t it? We enjoyed more COVID, high inflation, a bear market, and an election year complete with ads ad nauseum, plus pontifications preposterous.
If it was a Disney ride, would people stand in line for an hour for the experience?
I was excited too for the coming of 2023, a non-election year which I felt confident would have much less politicking until we had our first candidate announce his run for the presidency, ONE WEEK AFTER MIDTERM ELECTIONS!
“Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it.” ~ Laurence J. Peter, The Peter Principle
My continuing reach for self-improvement continues with work towards the goal of unflinching, never-failing honesty. I have learned, however, that the answer to “Do I look fat in this dress” is not “Not to worry, you’re beautiful even though you look fat in any dress.” Honest good, stupid bad.
But our elected and appointed officials in Washington don’t appear to have bought into this simple construct.
They seem to think a lack of honesty on their part can be counter-balanced by trusting in the peoples’ stupidity.
Them: Don’t worry; inflation is transitory.
Us: Well, yeah, everything in life is, isn’t it? The question is HOW LONG and HOW HIGH?
Them: It will abate as soon as we spend a few more trillion dollars on stuff.
Us: Oh, fer cryin’ out loud.
Them: Trust us. Would we lie?
“In politics, stupidity is not a handicap.” ~ Napoleon Bonaparte
“Mary wished to say something very sensible, but knew not how.” ~ Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
And then there was the bear market of 2022, and I am telling you to be patient and wait it out. Does that sound dangerously like “transitory?” I hope not, but if you ask when, I’m going to tell you:
“What do you get when you cross an elephant with a rhinoceros? El-if-I-know.” ~ Benny Hill
Or better still:
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” ~ My friend Gary
Or from me:
“Are you on the plan? Stay on the plan. Are you not on the plan? Get back on the plan!”
“Ride the horse that brung ya.” ~ also Me
I had a lot more to ramble about this month – there’s social media, our society’s evolution, the human capacity for self-delusion, the danger of good intentions and willful ignorance, pandemics and aging…phew. But there are just as many thoughts I’d like to share on upbeat topics.
So this, in closing: It is the Christmas season.
It is traditionally a time of joy around the world, for Christians as well as non-believers. Let’s all ask for peace in the Ukraine and comfort where there is pain. Give where we can, heal where possible.
I hope you will enjoy the best of times this year; in spite of a bear market in our finances, we have so much to celebrate. Yes, the Thanksgiving turkey and Christmas ham were expensive this year, but we had them and more in abundance. Enjoy the food, your family, and the joy of the kids on Christmas morning.
Remember those that have gone before.
Sing some songs, and celebrate.
Christmas won’t come round again for another year … and that’s like an eternity for all us kids.
The best is yet to come!
December 2022
