Sitting in my newly organized, tidied, House-and-Gardened
living room (see above), listening to Beethoven, the Sonata for Violin and Piano in F, Op. 24 (“Spring”). I have that delicious convalescent feeling, frailty borne with a light spirit; I feel as though I’m transparent.
My thorny roommate equation, which had vexed until now both muggins here and an Air Canada Centre’s worth of exasperated friends and family, has been solved—unexpectedly, uniquely, obliquely, by my being presented, last-second, with a guy who I didn’t search for, who shares my values (which I will spontaneously formulate as: keep your sense of humor, try to be intelligent, help others less fortunate, be humble, and get high every so often, but not enough to eat into your savings or your soul) and who contributes. Energy, money, ideas, support.
You shouldn’t have to labor at keeping the minutiae of life pinned down; your conviction that life is drudgery is a warning sign that your attention is misdirected. When things work, they are so utterly simple.
My new roomie has every reason to dance, and so do I. But for now I’m just enjoying the predictable, blissful exhaustion and unpredictable, blissful Beethoven.
Speaking of Helen Keller, have you ever
tried to explain pluralistic democracy to an American? I mean, recently? Or a Canadian for that matter. The cybersphere is currently overrun with overwrought geezers—or they may be paid lackeys of the international society of David-teasers, you never know—who are enduring the terrible burden of having to share their equality toys and the limelight with their newborn little bro’s—”the gays” and “the trannies”—and for me to point out that they are not enjoying the exercise would be an understatement at a level akin to the opinion voiced by the first visitor to the Grand Canyon, who took one look and muttered, “My, my, quite a slice.”
If these Libertarian geezers had their druthers they’d toss said little bro’s down the back staircase, cot, Bunnikins cup, security blanket and all, because—well. You know. What’s in it for them?
Or, as one dolt said to me last night as I defended Justin Trudeau and “his” new bill barring hate speech directed towards trans persons, “I don’t get anything extra because I’m Caucasian, so why should they?”
And that’s when I shot myself.
Before I crawl into the stagnant pond of my lukewarm bath which was newly-drawn and hot about six hours ago, I’d like to ask you a question or two. First, why do you think Constitutions, Bills of Rights, Charters of Rights and Freedoms and other such documents exist?
And another thing: Would you make this sort of statement to a stranger online: “You are proselytizing the politics of Sodom and Gomorrah, and as they were destroyed, so will you be.” ? (What could be next? “I saw Biddy Roddis with the Devil!”?)
To respond to a person who is so self-righteous that he believes “being destroyed” is a fate reserved solely for his ideological enemies, just remind him: We’re all going to be destroyed, bub.
That’s our common fate as mankind— liberal, conservative, saint and sinner—which makes it all the more crucial that we make the most of our messy, inchoate and incomprehensible lives while we can.
And surely that might involve paying attention to something—anything—besides ourselves and our small pond we insist on believing is the ocean.
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