The End of a Season, of a Nation, of Life as We Know It

Summer is over, school has started, and I-like many others-am reaping the horrible consequences of a changing season. My brain has seized up nearly a week or two ago; I'm not sure how long exactly, time is merely a vapor that lingers above, too high for me to grasp at it. A dreadful laziness has taken over, like a lobotomy victim I lumber about lackadaisically. Allergies have managed to clog my sinuses, making breathing an ordeal that simply sucks. This is my first attempt at writing since I announced the death of baseball, and for a very good reason: I have completely lost it-my groove that is. Stella got hers back, but summer has managed to beat my mind into a coma, and all the efforts made to snap my precious control center out of it have proved unsuccessful. Yes, this is a last ditch effort to salvage what is left, a few weeks into my last semester, which will end with an associates degree in liberal arts.

A useless degree really, at least now, in a time where nothing less than a masters is impressive. But I plan to move forward with my education because the world is a scary place and college is a safe haven. I now understand the true meaning of that dopey film, Van Wilder. Nevertheless, college is expensive and there is no possible way to stay in it for the rest of my life. Everyone seems to be running on fear, doubt, and paranoia now. Our half-dumb, half-insane president has made it clear that we are now entering the Dark Ages v2.0. His comments about Iraq and Vietnam illustrate where the government's focus is. And that is on the end, which might not be as frightening to you as it is to me, but it sheds light on a bigger picture, one that has been painted many centuries ago.

Considering Junior's chosen ideology we know that ole' Georgy boy cares more about his afterlife than the one here on Earth. Why else would he seem so hell bent on raping Mother Earth and then aborting the child? Well, maybe not aborting, but certainly drowning it after it's born. His statements in regards to Iraq only clarify his reasoning when it comes to any situation. He is focused entirely on the end game. What happens on the road to that aftermath is irrelevant to him, and I am starting to think he is not the only one who feels the end is more important than the beginning and middle. Here in New Jersey we are isolated from many unfortunate truisms. For example, the average annual income for the American family is $40k per year, which is below the standard of living in many states. Or the fact that secondary education is not a priority for many high school graduates across the country. Or that going to war is the best option for a large chunk of Americans.

People are just getting by, going through the motions, shuffling along, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. And as someone who has just gotten by for the extent of social training (a.k.a. elementary and high school) I can tell you that the mental state of a getter-by is one of foolish optimism and hope that everything will work out in the end. Hoping things will pan out in the end is bound to solidify that same long-faced and pessimistic attitude that got the getting-by going. It is a cursed mindset to have and our government has managed to develop such a horrid outlook. "Stay the course...Have Hope...Have Faith...Trust us, in the end it will work out...We must keep the faith..." The next move is some form of chemical dependency-a White House and Congress filled with boozers and pill heads. So far, only a few have turned to strange behavior, but those pig-headed cluds were of no use to us anyway.

The tragic part is that a large portion of Americans have adopted the same attitude that is certain to drive our government mad, and inevitably, the entire country. Praying can't save you now. No, only action will suffice. Good luck.