Social Icons

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Days 35 - 39 /// State of the Union

A little update for ya... As usual, until I'm on my own you can keep up to speed on our bicycle adventure via my dad's very detailed journal. As for me, I'll pepper in a few things...  

First, today is my birthday. My mother messaged last night to remind me that at 1:42am, 38 years ago, I hatched. Being 38 is strange. In the mirror and on paper I'm seemingly getting older. However, I feel just as healthy as ever, and still haven't quite figured out 'what I wanna be' when I grow up. Then again, has anyone? I guess I still have a couple of youthful years until the big 4-0, so I'm gonna take advantage!  

On a random topic, what in the F is going on in the world?  We left on June 11th and the $hit has literally hit the fan. Ever since a lunatic gunman opened fire in an Orlando nightclub five weeks ago, we've been hammered by news of bloodshed in Istanbul, Dallas, Nice, Baton Rouge, and others. What gives? All that, plus the ridiculousness of the current American political system, the incredible poverty and general fucked'up'ed'ness of most of the areas we've ridden through, cops and citizens at war, and the absurdity of Brexit. I'm beginning to think we're seeing a global 'fall of Rome', and it saddens me deeply.  

The other day we stopped at a gas station in the middle of nowhere and I came across a stack of old NatGeo magazines. The first one I grabbed was from 1970 and the headline was something about pollution, and how we're "killing the environment" and need to change our ways or we'll create a little thing called "climate change". Fast forward almost 50 years... did we do anything? Of course not. 

We are an interesting species capable of compassion and kindness. We love and romance, cry for each other, even tear the very organs from our bodies and give them to strangers. At the same time, we slaughter one another, and destroy our only planet simultaneously. We are certainly compassionate and kind, but we are also clearly very susceptible to greed, gluttony, and lust. I don't know what to do about any of it. I see nothing being done but people arguing their opinion is the right opinion. I won't share my opinion on any of it. I'm just going to try to be a better person to myself, others, and the environment. I wish others would take a step back and do the same. 

On one hand it was a wonderful birthday. On the other, I can't help but think what things will be like in 5, 10, 25 years. For now, I'll just stay present watching the wheels go round.  

Here's a few pics from the past few days...  






2 comments: