The Waiting Game, Part 2

Just a fast few thoughts tonight.

Glad the election is over, and I'm glad that President Obama has been reelected. There are some seriously grouchy people out there who are being very vocal about the election result, and some comments are funny, and some are disturbing. At this moment, I'm not quite sure how to respond, or if a response is even necessary.

There is much work ahead for the POTUS - I found it rather telling to see how grey he has become, when comparing pictures from yesterday and today with pictures from 2008. The job is obviously one that takes its toll. I applaud the tenacity of ANY POTUS in the last 60 years.

There is much thinking to do on my part. What role to I play in my country's place in the world? As an American abroad, I have always felt the need to defend my country to those I encounter through my days and years living in Europe. There have been times when my voice has been smaller than it is today - previous incarnations of the POTUS have not induced me to be explicit about the glories of the US; perhaps, with another four years of Obama ahead, I may choose to raise my volume level, albeit slightly.

I recently made it about halfway through Democracy in America, which seems an important book to read in order to come close to understanding the inner workings of how the American government was set up. Let me be understood, however, that it is NOT about how the American government necessarily works NOW. The educated men who set up the three branches of the American government would only catch a glimpse of what they started 200+ years ago; intrinsically, it still exists, but only in the same way that the cornerstone of an immense skyscraper is visible to those who take the time to seek it, away from the captivating heights of the uppermost floors.

Otherwise, American politics has succumbed to the same tactics used by the reality-type, shock-value media that so many people seem to think is normal. And I'm guilty, to an extent, of buying into it. I had to engage in a forcible shut-down last night, in order to stop re-reading the same announcements (disguised as 'news') from pundits the world over, each continuing to inform me about 'how close the race was', and how 'Romney was a clear leader' in the election. I finally got tired of the sameness of the message, and went to bed.

Perhaps that may be part of the problem - the sameness of the message. The sameness of every message, every day.

I remember reading a book many years ago - something to do with finding happiness. It was a small book - the kind you find on the back of the toilet in the bathroom - with small, single, easily consumed tit-bits on each page about how to be happy. And the one I remember the most is the one suggesting a 'news fast.'

What a brilliant idea. Considering the bombardment that's possible, via any number of methods, of the constant messaging of what we are 'told' is newsworthy, it's a wonder to me that so few of us lose our marbles. And while I understand that so many people use FB because it's where they feel they'll be heard, I applaud the friend of mine who so eloquently said, 'Just when I thought I had hid enough feed....whether you are happy or upset this morning, if you are nasty about it I can't take it.'

I'm not suggesting we all hide our heads in the sand. That's irresponsible. But what I do suggest is aiming for at least one day a week where a news fast is the order of the day. And it's OK to post something on FB that's NOT about politics, or people being nasty to other people, or people doing something horrible to (fill in the blank), etc.

I recently read a story about a guy who came out of a shopping centre to find a note on his windscreen from a stranger - a note that read 'Noticed you need new tires. Take this receipt to the tire store down the street and get some. It's all paid for. Pass it on.'

Things like this DO happen. And that's news.