Love is good enough for me.

In the thread below, I define our living Hell. That we all live in Hell. And that there's no escape. But there is salvation. If only we fall in love. With life. Even life in Hell. I've managed to do that. I assume others can, too. And I do it by focusing on love. By forgetting about politics. One day at a time. Oh, sure, I'm often reminded of the existence of foul, obscene politics. Of Hell. But I'm fully capable of forgetting. Momentarily. Even for a single day. That I'm not in Hell. That I'm in love. In a sense, I've created Paradise inside the borders of Hell. Maybe I've duped myself. But so be it. Because I truly believe that I am in love. That I have escaped Hell. Even if I haven't. Which is good enough for me. --Jim Broede

Our living Hell.

Most of us don't bother with politics. We just get on with our lives. And ignore politics. Other than trekking to the polls now and then. To vote. With the illusion that we've got a say about who's gonna represent us in public office. That we can make a difference. But it's all a ruse. All political systems, not only in the U.S., have been designed to allow the most astute political manipulators to have their way. Usually, that means the people with the most money. The rich. They want to stay elite. Stay politically powerful. And they do that by learning how to manipulate the political systems. Not with votes. But with money. Doesn't matter who gets elected. Because elected officials can be bought. Bribed. Manipulated. By millionaires. By billionaires. By big business trillionaires. Call it whatever you want. An oligarchy. A plutocracy. Doesn't matter one iota. It's all the same. The nature of politics. Occasionally, we get an idealist vowing to change the system of patronage in Washington or a state capitol or a local community. But it turns out to be a sham. Because the system is greater than the individual. Nobody is gonna change the nature of politics and corruption. In Washington or any place. Not even Barack Obama. Not even god himself. We people on Mother Earth have been cursed. With politics. It's our Hell. With a capital H. Yes, our living Hell. We try to ignore it. Some of us even pretend that Hell doesn't exist. But believe me, it's always there. Always with us. We can't escape. --Jim Broede

Falsehood becomes racist truth.

Racists believe what they want to believe. And they don't let the facts get in way of their racist opinions. For instance, polls show that many conservative Republicans firmly believe that Obama isn't an American. That he was foreign born. And therefore, he has no right to be president. Obama's birth place is an issue with them. Only because he's black. And they don't want a black man to ever be president. Simply because he's black. But in this day and age, they can't bring themselves to publicly say that they are opposed to Obama simply because he's black. So they have to concoct another reason. That he's a foreigner. That his birth certificate from Hawaii is fake. That he really was born in Kenya or some other foreign land. Many of 'em also allege that he's a secret Muslim. Not a Christian. Of course, all of this is false. But falsehood often qualifies as racist truth. --Jim Broede

All I need.

I keep getting back to the same thought. A constant reminder. Live one day at a time. Don't get ahead of myself. That's gotta be the secret of happiness. Pursue happiness today. Not yesterday. Not tomorrow. Today. Amazing that I didn't grasp that concept earlier in life. But better late than never. Thing is, I can be happy doing little things. Today, I'm gonna spend much of the day gardening. Feeling Mother Earth with my bare hands. No gloves. Imagine that. Achieving pleasure. From dirt. And the warmth of sunshine. And thoughts of love. That's all I need. --Jim Broede

Wondering if I'm vain.

The other day, I was accused of being vain. I use the word 'accused' maybe because it was meant in a negative way. Implying vain as negative. Not a good trait. But maybe it was meant mostly in a joking manner. Positively. Maybe I really am vain. After all, I wanna look good. Svelte. Well-groomed. Well-dressed. Well-mannered. Ain't all that concerned over what people think. If I'm judged as bad. I'm not overwrought. Unless it's a close friend. Then I'd be concerned. Enough to clear up the issue. To make things right. So I look better. Anyway, I'm opinionated. A jokester, too. Such actions may alienate some people. But once again, I'm not overly disturbed about it. Though I'd rather that others have a good and favorable impression. Doesn't necessarily make me vain, does it? --Jim Broede

God help us.

It'd be nice if politicians learned to be nice to each other. Showing mutual respect. Acting like gentlemen. Republicans lauding Democrats. And Democrats praising Republicans. As decent people. Disagreeing only on issues. In polite ways. And trying to reach compromise. Meeting each other half-way. Of course, that won't happen. Because it's not enough for politicians to merely disagree. They have to castigate and ridicule their opponents. Question their veracity. Even their patriotism. And their moral fiber. Used to be, decades ago, that Republicans and Democrats socialized with each other. Got to know each other personally. Now they literally hate each other. And the thing is, most of 'em say they have something in common. Their Christianity. But apparently politics come first. Rather than being a true believer, a true Christian. Or maybe they think their political activity is a reflection of their Christian values. If so, god help us. --Jim Broede

I'm gonna trick the baseball gods.

Now that I'm pulling for the Cubs to lose, they win. They broke their 12-game losing streak. To my disappointment. I wanted them to set the record for the longest losing streak in Cubs' history. They fell two games short of tying the record. Maybe the baseball gods allowed the Cubs to win because I wanted the Cubs to lose. The gods insist on teaching me a lesson. Never giving me what I want. Instead, they give me the opposite of what I want. A loss when I want the Cubs to win. And a win when I want the Cubs to lose. Maybe it's that the baseball gods don't like me. I must have offended them once upon a time. And they ain't gonna forgive me. Instead, they are inflicting eternal punishment on me. But maybe I can trick the gods. By pretending I want the Cubs to lose. All the time. The baseball gods might decide then to allow the Cubs to get into the World Series. Just to teach me a lesson. If that happens, I will have duped the baseball gods. Anyway, I've always sensed that the baseball gods aren't too smart. --Jim Broede