Manifesto

I was looking at my old posts and the more I read, the more annoying they seemed. I hit the "delete" button (less times than I care to admit, but hey, what can you do?) I hit the "delete" button because even though I still agree with what was said, I didn't like the way it was said; too angry, too sarcastic, too histrionic. And looking over everything, it struck me that what this blog had become was one more enraged voice in an enormous chorus of countless enraged voices from all sides of the spectrum, each screaming louder in an attempt to drown out the others, each coarsening the discourse a bit (or a lot). The end result? Eventually, everyone with an opinion, and everyone who cares passionately about anything finds themselves wallowing in a verbal and moral sewer of our own making.

There is much wrong with the world right now, I think. And there is not enough right with it. But shrieking like Medusa on a bad hair day and eviscerating those who disagree with one (however evil they may be) isn't making anything better, it's just wasting energy that could be used to actually bring attention to, address, and maybe solve the problem.

And not only that, but in the midst of things, for those of us lucky enough to have one, life goes on. I'm currently looking for a new place to live in Los Angeles (no picnic) but the people I'm meeting in my search and the stories they tell me kind of make me wish I could rent five apartments and live in each one. More on that tomorrow....

In the meantime, though, I want to say that while I think it's a shame that Edwards has dropped out of the race for the Democratic nomimation, I know in my gut that he and his utterly, earth-shatteringly classy wife Elizabeth will continue to make a positive difference in this country by example, if nothing else. I've never met them personally, but what I perceive is two people who have been blessed materially and challenged emotionally and spiritually, and through it all maintained and enhanced their humanity. I hope we haven't heard the last of these two as in my opinion, they really embody the best of America.