Mulling through the Speculation

Following quick on the heals of my last post, we got a report from our exchange student that someone she knows was indicating they expect to perish next year in the coming civil war. Granted this is a high school student spouting off in a lunch room, but it does indicate how much this sensibility (and fear, anxiety) has seeped into the ethos of the moment here in the States, so much that it seems like a forgone conclusion, when it so very much is not.

Adding fuel to this metaphorical mind fire of mine, I came across an opinion piece in the WaPo by Mitch Daniels titled “I surrender. A major economic and social crisis seems inevitable.” Again, this is an opinion piece from someone you very well may have zero respect for, but it adds to the chorus of this particular lament.

For the hat trick I queued up Leave the World Behind on Netflix. I won’t spoil the direction that film takes, but it’s clear from the trailer that some kind of disaster is right on the horizon. As I zeroed in on as I watched with growing dread was the overall message that establishing and maintaining trust and community through regular contact and dialog is essential for our society. It’s something I continue to think about, as I am someone who defaults to keeping to myself quite a bit.