They think I've gone bonkers. Absolutely crazy.

A teacher told me the other day that she sees so many teenagers who lack enthusiasm, curiosity and fire. That they crawl through life, saving energies, in a condition of tepid approach to existence. But I think it goes far beyond teenagers. I see it with some adults. With a whole gamut of people. It's like they have become robots. Zombies. Going through motions. And they're influenced and controlled by sound bites. And they're fed what they want to hear. They're conditioned to be robots. To not have to think. To get all the information they need in 30-second sound capsules. Repeated over and over and over. I turn on TV and the radio, and it sounds like a constant drone. I'd rather go for a walk. And listen to the chirping birds. Anyway, little wonder that marriages and relationships break up. They weren't solidified in the first place. Some people don't talk to each other in meaningful ways any more. They don't get to know each other. They don't even get to know themselves. Oh, I sound like a pessimist now. And I don't want to. Because I know how to live. I convince myself that I'm really in paradise. When I go for a walk along the lakeshore...or in the woods. And sometimes, I just close my eyes. And walk and walk and walk. As if I'm blind. But I still see. I can still imagine things. And feel the pulse of life. Inside me. I just love being alive. And conscious. And able to express myself. And go a bit crazy. Maybe that's why I scare some people. They think I've gone bonkers. Absolutely crazy. --Jim Broede