Growing Anxiety Over Everything

It seemed that life was so simple. Not long ago, there was time to slow down, access the situation, and find the best course of action. Or at least recommend an informed solution to the government, the elders, the chief.. Something like that. There were no slippery slopes of abortion, no civilizational awareness that spanned continents.

But now, look around you. So much to worry about! The staples of food, health, economy, and government are not nearly enough. Not even the Good Book (one of several, as if we were short on spiritual compasses pointing every which way) can provide all the answers. Consider the slippery slopes of abortion and stem cell research. Ponder the endless dollars spent on space-age technology. Is it worth it? What is a "free" society, and how do you make a framework of government formulated for anglo traditions (with a pinch of black slavery for color) coexist with LITERALLY every living tribe, religion, ethnicity, culture, and historical narrative on Earth? Ever hear of the technological singularity? Never mind that, consider the real thing - if a black hole is careening on a collision course with our world, there's nothing, NOT A THING anyone can do about it. Are machines poised to take over? What does genetic engineering have in store for our future? An "ideal race" perhaps? Human-animal hybrids? Human-machine hybrids? What possible framework of morality can account for such things? Intelligent machines aren't the domain of Hollywood anymore. They're here. They're fighting alongside, and in some cases, instead of real-live troops.

Oh to go back to our roots. When men were men, women were women, and everything made sense. Life used to be simple. What started as development based on capitalist ideology, individualism, and Judeo-Christian moral framework is now engulfing the world, and itself. Globalization. Not only is it wrecking traditional, noble cultures around the globe, but it is driving chaos and confusion back at the home front. Modernity is soo difficult! Is it cheating if it's only online? What about with a webcam? How can I know what's right and wrong to purchase? I don't want to support corrupt and exploitative corporations, but I know that without such business, the poor natives of wherever will be even worse off. Woe is me, oh Lord. I pine for simplicity! When a phone is just a phone. When cutting and pasting actually involved glue and scissors in your hands.

Meanwhile, this epiphany was interrupted by another bazillion kids dying of easily-curable symptoms such as bruises. Another half as many were begging Western embassies to grant them permission to live here, or work shit jobs for Microsoft and Nike, or in any conceivable manner enjoy the benefits of civilization that inner-city poor take for granted (like... walls). A fortunate few realized that dream. They met this romantic and promptly beat the spoiled little brat to within an inch of death. Rightly so. That's one less problem to worry about.