This Mars thing got me thinking. Are we doing better or worse, getting smarter or not, accomplishing more or less?
For years we've been extolling our collective societal virtues and how much progress we've made. We're all so much better off than ever before. We know so much more. We can do things never before thought possible.
All we need do is observe the technology around us to prove that our lives are vastly different than they were only 10 years ago.
But are we better off?
When I think back to the 1969 Moon landing and medical advances in the 70's and 80's, I recall that I once believed we were really on top of 'our' game. Things were great, were getting greater, and would soon be the greatest they could be. What a life!
Then something happened. Our stuff wasn't quite as good or advanced or professional or durable or wonderful as we thought it was or should be. Of course, we didn't acknowledge it right away. Self-delusion can be a healthy thing - in small doses. Some aren't really admitting this now, but a bit of reflection will prove my point.
How often do we go to a doctor these days and come away with a sense or diagnosis that shows our medical community seems to be less sure now of what's happening in our bodies? Like my wife says, all these processed foods are causing conditions and reactions in us never before manifested. The more we progress, the more we fall behind.
Sure, we have all these wonderful tests and procedures from MRI's to angioplasties, but all too often the patient is informed: "You'll just have to live with it." My wife's reaction: "That's why they're called 'practicing' physicians."
How many times do we contact stores and service repair people and need to contact them again and again to do the job right? When was the last time you had a job - any job - done right the first time? I can't recall - and as a new Palm Coast resident, I've had a gazillion repair people come in and out and in and out of my house to get things right.
I can't even go to McDonald's and get a hot hamburger without feeling as though the kitchen help had to clean and butcher the meat before cooking it. There's always some hassle. If we were so great, things would go a lot smoother.
What's happened?
Prosperity. Progress. Post-modern thinking. The three "P's." They're deadly and we're victims of their force and folly.
For years we've been telling ourselves how wonderful we have it and how smart and advanced we are. You know the expression: If you say something often enough, it becomes true.
We think our criminal justice system is sound. We don't realize that many in that community would just as soon get the collar and conviction quickly - and 'save' taxpayer money - than make sure they have the right person. It doesn't happen all the time, of course, but it happens more than you'd think. That is, unless, you've had a front-row seat at one of these passion plays of real life.
There are many more examples. I'm sure you've thought of several of 'your favorites' while you've been reading this.
What can we do? Carp, complain, and cry. Bellyache to your heart's content. We're suffering an insidious form of complacency. We need to grab ourselves by our collars and shake some sense into our psyches. Is this all the result of the 'malaise' that former president Jimmy Carter railed against and for which he was roundly vilified?
Peeple cant get anythin wright anymoor. [Last sentence spelled this way intentionally.]
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Fred W. Apelquist, III, M.Ed.
Approximately 610 words.
(c) 1999