Well, here it is…a New Year beginning. So this year past gave us great films (Dark Knight Rises, Skyfall, The Hobbit and of course, The Avengers). We lost great talent (Michael Clarke Duncan, Alex “Mongo” Karras, Ernest Borgnine, Richard Dawson and Davy Jones to name only a few). We had a very dirty and nasty election cycle (I really hate politics). Also a record space jump, the Olympics and so many other things I won’t get into.
But then there was the ‘End of the World’ according to the Mayan calendar. Yeah. Right. I have read much on this subject and knew this was going to be another Y2K scare, and I was correct. Nothing happened, nothing changed. By the way, my opinion is that it wasn’t the end, but a resetting of the Mayan calendar. Either way, too much was read into it ans the press ran with a sensationalistic theme.
As for me 2012 was mostly negative and depressing, with exceptions, of course. But I started new things like walking/hiking. Very necessary and fun too! Stress ruled my head in 2012, and from my own volition. So I am in what I can say is an ‘Change’. And on the last day of 2012 I did something that I procrastinated too much on. I have had my car refinanced! Saving money never felt so good! Along with that, I started writing again and set a goal for 2013. The Ride 2013 USA has been altered somewhat to a (major) degree. I will most likely be taking my car and not a motorcycle đŚ . But it will be because of safety and of financial reasons, but more on that later in 2013.
And in closing, the end of 2012 is a turning point for me. I am gearing up for trips and changes all around. And these things WILL happen, I am positive! I am using this as a base for trying to be positive this year more than ever. To better myself and clean up my head and clear out the dust, junk and bricks that have held me down for so long. Not a resolution, but a promise.
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Here they are, my favorite episodes.
The 9th Doctor.
#1. Rose. Perfect beginning to bringing the Doctor back! Rose was inquisitive and exciting, and to bring back the Autons was genius. And Christopher Eccleston was the perfect choice to embody the Doctor for a new age.
#2. World War Three. The Doctor defeats the the Slitheen in 10 Downing Street! The Doctor outwits the Slitheen family and saves the Earth.
#3. Boom Town. The Doctor, Rose and Jack make a great team and the Slitheen Margaret returns and give the Doctor a great new tool for the TARDIS. This episode is fun, exciting and just darn good!
The 10th Doctor.
#1. The Christmas Invasion. David Tennant’s first outing and it’s a doozy! Killer Santas, a killer Christmas tree and an alien invasion with a sword fight!!
#2. School Reunion. Awesome link from the old series to the new. Anthony Stewart Head as the villainous Krellitane leader, priceless. The scene where Sarah Jane sees the TARDIS and turns to see The Doctor is the best!
#3. The Girl in the Fireplace. A spaceship that smells like pot roast. Yeah. Arthur the horse. A time window, 17th century France and clockwork robots. Brilliant!
#4. The Shakespeare Code. Never would have put The Doctor and Shakespeare together, but it is one of the better episodes of all time.
#5. Blink. Weeping Angels are statues. Awesome.
#6. Timecrash. A two Time Lord short with the Fifth Doctor(Peter Davison) and the 10th Doctor(David Tennant). A Whovian dream episode.
#7. Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead. Enter River Song, exit River Song. A magnificent 2 part story.
#8. The Stolen Earth/Journey’s End. Davros is back! Jack is back! Sarah Jane is back! Rose is back! And a human biological metacrisis! Brilliant!
#9. Planet of the Dead. Loved this special, a flying double-decker bus!
#10. The End of Time. Finale of David Tennant’s 10th Doctor. Timothy Dalton as a Time Lord and the return of John Simm’s The Master are excellent. The first time the Master and the Doctor worked together.
The 11th Doctor.
#1. The Eleventh Hour. Welcome Matt Smith as the 11th Doctor. At first I was concerned he wasn’t going to pull it off. But he did with flying colors. A new Doctor and a new TARDIS control room. and Bowties are cool!
#2. The Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone. The Weeping Stone Angels are back! The moment that the Doctor and River figure out they are in danger is fantastic!
#3. Vincent and the Doctor. Vincent Van Gogh meets the Doctor!
#4. The Lodger. Funny and completely entertaining. Craig is a great addition to the Who universe.
#5. The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang. A time travel paradox’s nightmare. Rewinding time, planting suggestions, using scenes from previous episodes and a vortex manipulator. Awesome. And I never ever would have thought to connect the old wedding saying to the TARDIS. “Something old, something new…” Brilliant.
#6. Day of the Moon. Part 2 outshines the first, and a US President goes on the TARDIS! The writing on this show continues to astound me.
#7. The Doctor’s Wife. The TARDIS becomes a very attractive lady! Yowza! The sad thing is that other Time Lords had to die to make this a great story.
#8. A Good Man goes to War. The Doctor gathers a force to rescue Amy and after all of it, a complex ruse is found out. And the ultimate secret is revealed (even though I figured it out weeks before). And the Headless Monks…unbelievable.
#9. The God Complex. Probably one of the darkest episodes, and very mysterious.
#10. The Power of Three. Cubes arrive en masse on Earth. And Rory’s father is back in an interesting episode about a slow invasion. Also it includes a Wii and the return of UNIT. And the Brigadier’s daughter!!! Fantastic!
#11. The Angels Take Manhattan. Goodbye to Amy and Rory. A wonderful send-off. Well done.
Prologue
âI didnât cry. I wanted to, but I didnâtâ I said to the man in the long coat leaning on the stone crypt. Its weathered white marble dripped along with the rain coming down.
âI knowâ, he said. âI know this was difficult but it wasâ. He paused and looked down for a moment avoiding my gaze, ânecessary.â
I looked over my shoulder back from where I was. âWill it go away? The pain that isâ I looked back at him, and our eyes met.
âI wish I could tell you it will, but Iâd be lying to you. I canât do that.â His eyes met mine and I could see the true sincerity. He was telling the truth. I could see sadness in his usually emotionless face. âWe canât stay here much longer, it isnât safe.â
âYes, of course.â I said looking down at the rain soaked grass. âI donât, canât come here again. It isnât safe for them.â
âIâm sorry, but no. You canât come here again. What youâve, weâve done is too, well, they wouldnât understand.â He stood straight up. âPerhaps youâd want to look, one last time?â
I nodded my head, looked down and turned. Slowly I walked up the rise of the hill past a few headstones. As I approached the terminus on the rise I could see. Through the raindrops a black tent propped up in the distance. There were people standing under the tent, filling it, and many more outside standing out in the rain. A few were still coming from behind a cluster of thick pine trees. I was a little startled when he put his hand on my shoulder. I hadnât heard him come up behind me. I turned my head and looked back at him.
âWe have to go.â
I nodded slightly, and looked back at the crowd of mourners. My eyes looked at the faces of the people. I recognized almost all of them. One face turned and looked up in my direction.
The rain seemed never to let up. It was creeping into every pour of everyone and everything at the funeral. She never thought that this would ever happen, at least not to him. He was her friend and had been for a very long time. And now he was gone. Forever. She walked from the car with her husband holding her hand, it was comforting to have him there, but there was still the pain. She stopped just short of the large tent housing the casket and his immediate family and a few who could fit under the tarp. The rain beat down relentlessly. âItâs like Heaven is cryingâ, she thought. But even this water could not cleanse everyone here and take away the pain.
The pastor began to speak and quote from the Bible, then after a few minutes he asked that everyone bow his or her heads in prayer. Everyone did. As she lowered her head, she caught something out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head to the left and could barely make out on a hill, a figure in what looked like a trench coat, then another behind him. She tried to make out detail but the rise was too far away. She blinked as the rain came down on her face, and the two figures were gone. She turned and tried to see more clear, but the two were gone like a vision. She turned back to the tent and lowered her head once more.
Well here they are…
#1. Superman (1978). By far the best and the first of the modern day superhero movies. Without Richard Donner super hero films would never have gotten any respect, let alone any sequels. Even though I was never, nor have ever been a big fan of Margot Kidder, the rest of the cast was exceptional. Christopher Reeve brought both sides of Superman out perfectly. As a fan of the comic books as a kid, this was a dream come true. I remember sitting in the theater with the family watching this (I think we saw it at the Plaza Theater in Butler?).
#2. The Dark Knight (2008). The villain is the best in any movie ever! Heath Ledger portrays the Joker like the psychotic animal he is. He explains the chaos he dishes out with logical precision and intent. And the scary thing is, in most of the dialog he is right! Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman and Michael Caine are great supporting actors for Christian Baleâs Batman, but Ledgerâs performance as the Joker stole the show. A well deserved Oscar for that!
#3. The Avengers (2012). Best ensemble cast EVER. Downey, Jackson, Johannsen, Hiddleston, Hemsworth, Ruffalo and Evans. A very entertaining film by Joss Whedon, that brought the different members of the Avengers to the screen. I still say the Tom Hiddlestonâs Loki was part 1 of what made this movie. His portrayal was superb. Part 2, obviously was Mark Ruffaloâs Hulk/Banner. The best of any Hulk film (even though I really liked 2008âs The Incredible Hulk) to date. Whedon and Ruffalo hashed out who Banner was and with Downeyâs Tony Stark, brought out the hero in the Hulk. My only complaint to this film was no War Machine.
# 4. The Incredibles (2004). Yeah, I knowâŚbut it IS a super hero movie. And it IS awesome! Pixar outdid themselves with this one. âNuff saidâŚexcept perhaps, where is a SEQUEL!???!!
#5. The Dark Knight Rises (2012). Perfect ending to a perfect super hero trilogy. Christopher Nolan has raised the bar in super her films. The entire cast was well put together and the stand-out was Anne Hathawayâs thief Catwoman. A well done film. Period.
# 6. Iron Man(2008). Robert Downey Jr. owns this movie. Like in other hero films when they name the actor to play the lead, RDJ was the perfect and only choice. He brought the good and bad traits to billionaire Tony Stark to life. He IS Iron Man. And without him, The Avengers and the films leading up to it would never have been done so well.
#7 The Incredible Hulk (2008). Edward Norton was a great choice for the scientist on the run, Dr. Bruce Banner. Unlike the horrifying 2003 Ang Lee HULK, this was a successful effort to bring reality and feeling to Banner/Hulk. It also added the âsuper soldier serumâ to the mix for what was Captain America.
#8. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011). Absolutely fantastic. It was so hard not to move this one up on the list. A perfect period piece, a perfect origin story with the perfect actor as the villain. With the exception of Ledgerâs Joker, Hugo Weavingâs Red Skull was fantastic. Great writing for a great film. I still think off this as a tragedy type story for the fact that Peggy and Steve only shared one kiss. And it was true love.
# 9. X-Men First Class (2011). Another exceptional super hero outing with an ensemble cast. Darker than the Avengers, it still was a great tale on how the X-Men came into being. The casting was fantastic as well, and the story complete. Stand out here is Michael Fassbenderâs Erik Lensherr. As a Nazi Hunter he is unparalleled. The scene in Argentina is by far my favorite.
# 10. Superman 2 (1982). Christopher Reeve returned (not really though because they were essentially filmed at the same time) for another go as Kryptonâs only son. In the first sequel he battles three baddies from Krypton imprisoned in the Phantom Zone, not released but a energy wave caused by nuclear weapons set off in space by Superman(yeah, really). Now they are coming to planet Hooston(Earth) to take over. And the ever smart Supes outwits them and wins. I remember this when I was a kid, loved it then, still love it.
# 11. Iron Man 2 (2010). Kind of interchangeable with #12. RDJ returns as Stark and with the help of Don Cheadleâs War Machine, they fight Anton Vanko. Brilliantly portrayed by Mickey Rourke. A fall from grace from Stark and redemption with the help of his dead father Howard brings Iron Man 2 to greatness for me.
# 12. Batman Begins (2005). Possibly one of the best reboots in film history. Christopher Nolan makes Bruce Wayne a real possibility. The casting was superb and the story exceptional.
# 13 Batman (1989). When they first said it was going to be made, they announced Jack Nicholson was the Joker and everyone saidâŚYeah. When Michael Keaton was to be Bruce Wayne, people were hesitant that it was going to be campy and a joke. They were wrong. Keaton and Nicholson not only pulled it out, but gave new life to the super hero film.
# 14. Watchmen (2009). A self enclosed hero world where the world is on the brink. A well done film, even though I thought the graphic novel was better. Stand-outs here are Rorschack, the Comedian, Daniel Drieberg (not as the Nite Owl) and Silk Specterâs leather and spandex outfit. I donât think a sequel could be done.
# 15. X 2: X-Men United (2003). The first four minutes start this out film with a X-Men comic fanâs dream, Nightcrawler. Hugh Jackmanâs Wolverine was well done. But as a X-Men comic fan, too little of Cyclops. The interaction between Xavier and Magneto is as good as it gets.
# 16. Spiderman 2 (2004). The best outing for Toby Mcguireâs Web Slinger. But not because of him. Doc Oc! Alfred Molina pulls the stand out best performance for the multi-armed villain (?). He brought a âI feel for the guyâ emotion to the character.
# 17. Ghost Rider (2007). Didnât think I was going to like this, but I did. Nicholas Cage puts Johnny Blaze in the right frame for this comic adaptation. And the visual effects of the motorcycle and the flames did it justice.
# 18. Superman Returns (2006). There will be disagreement with me on this, but hear me out. Bryan Singer wanted to bookend the Richard Donner Superman and Superman II films. I believe he accomplished that. And with Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor, you couldnât go wrong. I really loved this film, even after the crappy Superman 3 and 4 films(ugh). This was well done and was also added to by the music by John Ottman. Not quite John Williams, but then, who is?
# 19. V for Vendetta (2005). A graphic novel turned film, well done in every respect. A must see. Hugo Weaving was incredible as V.
#20. Thor (2011). Kenneth Brannagh came through and made Thor believable and entertaining. It was not an âactionâ film per se, but it did tell the story of how Thor came here and became a trusted member of the Avengers.
Honorable mention:
X-Men (2000). Great cast and a great set-up for sequels.
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007). Only one problem with this film was the lack of a true Galactus.
The Amazing Spiderman (2012). Actually liked this!
Batman Returns (1992). Keaton did a good job and Michelle Pfeifferâs leather outfit was sexy. And Christopher Walken, come on!!
You know the reality of all this attacking is: No tax plan (Obama or Romney) will get implemented unless it goes through the Congress. The Congress, which will inevitably add earmarks, addendum’s and amendments that will cost us taxpayers dearly. And no matter what they say, the President has not, does not nor ever will ‘make’ jobs’! And the only jobs the Government can create are more Government jobs!! And if the Congress is Democrat controlled and Romney is President, not much will get done. The funny thing is Obama had 2 years of a Democrat controlled Congress and still didn’t get much done except drive us farther down the path to self-destruction! He should write a sequel to his book…The Audacity of Arrogance!(Obviously a work of fiction!)
And I thought Obama was going to ‘bring us all together’? Seems like with the lies he got caught on during the second debate and the last 4 years, he has torn us apart. I weep for this once great nation. We have so much to be thankful for, but we throw it away for money and power. The 47% Romney talked about are getting things given to them at the cost of others. Pull up your bootstraps and do it for yourself! Why should the Government give you everything? Also here is another question: Who recorded that ‘private’ fundraiser and delivered it to the DNC? If that had been a RNC plant and recorded Obama say something similar, he would be in jail and the RNC would be attacked!
In a brief historical lesson, in the early 60’s politicians all decided to remove the 10 Commandments and God from the schools and everywhere. Since then this country has declined.
The simple truth is the entire Government has driven us down. Not one party is to blame. They all are. They use their place in Washington to get kickbacks from special interests and lobbyists, and some would call that a BRIBE! And then they give themselves raises and special privileges and benefits. They go on unnecessary trips at the expense of Us, the taxpayers. The ride around in buses made in Canada and use enormous amounts of fuel(not the bus itself, but the entourage). Then, when they leave office, they have benefits for the rest of time!!
And still the attacks on Romney continue, and Obama continues to lie and the press covers for him. When Bush was President we had daily troop death counts, and not one with Obama. But I digress. The Congress should be held accountable and be put to task. All of their benefits and pay should be made by public referendum. In other words, all Congress should go to minimum wage! And we all know why, power. They think that the Government should have over power over the people. It should be the other way around. Don’t get me wrong, if Obama had good plans and policies, I would be the first to say Yay!, but he doesn’t And you may think that I am a Republican, I am not. I am an Independent Constitutionalist. I disagreed with Bush on issues and actually made more money during the Clinton years.
I have said it before, this country is at an crossroads. We are teetering on the edge of an abyss, of which if we fall, we die as a nation. And there are many, many countries salivating and hoping that will happen. Man, there are people in this country who hate America! I would hope we would have a moment of clarity and samity and see what is really going on. There may be a conspiracy, a secret organization or background ghosts manipulating the system and it’s participants (I do have a theory on that!). But we as a people can fix this, it won’t be easy or simple or quick. But we are really in a pickle.
To be honest, this should come as no surprise to many that I am constantly fighting a battle with myself. I am not bi-polar, manic depressive and I don’t have multiple personalities. It rages on every day I breathe and never seems to cease. In my head and my heart I am in conflict. At times I cannot control what I think or do, and at times I am in complete control of my faculties. The mere duality of what goes on in my life is remarkable. And then enters the Hulk reference.
Dr. Banner got zapped by Gamma rays and now is two beings in one. The smart and meek Dr. Banner and the massive, super strong and enraged Incredible Hulk. But I know when I do things I shouldn’t and that causes me grief, angst and regret. These are like bricks I carry on a daily basis and they never go away, and never get lighter and I always seem to get more and more of them. This is the burden I carry and live with. If I could I would never let anyone see my pain. Like Banner, I don’t want to become what I am, or do the things I have done. I want to be more than I am.
And also for years I have struggled with depression and anxiety. With some medication I have controlled them, but not all the time. My aim is to get off meds and deal with these issues naturally and in the best of health. I am working on these even now.
I was asked recently what I really want to do. I replied, what? Like do I have a dream place? I do. I may have not shared this with anyone before. So here goes.
My ‘dream place’ would be up in the mountains, self sufficient and off-the-grid. Living without the stress of a rat race. No crowds, time to fish and read. Very peaceful. If anyone remembers a TV show called Airwolf, but the main character(Stringfellow Hawke) had such a home. So there it is.
Day 1. The hardest thing for me is eating late. Breakfast: Shake. Lunch: Sushi (Yay Tokyo Dining @ EPCOT!). Snack: Powerbar. Dinner: Shake. I did have a 12 oz Chocolate Bock at EPCOT.
On October 10, 2012 I did my Biometric test at Disney. My Blood Pressure was 126/70. For me that is extraordinary! And my weight was at 269 lbs. When I left Chef Mickey’s I was at 286 lbs., not bad considering. But far from my goal of 210 lbs lean. So that is my starting point. I want to lose at least 25 lbs in 90 days. And I will.
I have goals beyond this. As most of you know, I am planning a motorcycle ride next year. It will encompass many states and thousands of miles. I plan on visiting friends and family all over. I ask for you patience as well as your input for ideas to make the ride better. I have many ideas and places to see, so I will be hashing them out over time. I also plan to go to Japan for at least a week sometime next year. But the bike ride comes first.
I will also be selling most of my things. These things I can do without. And the money will go towards the trip. Minimalism is one key to this. It has been said and it is true, that you can’t take things with you when you die. I believe this. And unless it helps me or is very precious to me, I will eliminate it. There are more things that are special to me than objects.
Also one of my goals in my Lifestyle change is writing. I have always wanted to just sit down and write, but I am a procrastinator. I must challenge, even force myself to sit for at least 30 minutes a day to write, and Wow do I have stories to write!
89 days to go.
Okay. So I am overweight, have high blood pressure, I am lethargic and lazy. I am no super hero, no Tony Stark. What to do? With help and advice from a fellow cook and friend, I have decided to go along on her journey of fitness. My reasons for doing this are many. This isn’t just a fitness regiment or a diet thing with me. This is a lifestyle change. I am planning on changing the entire way I live. For years I have been unhappy about the way I live, and have been fighting depression and anxiety on a daily basis. So starting with the Disney Biometric testing I have begun my transformation.
As this is a lifestyle change, it will encompass all aspects of the way I go about my future. I have always thought that it would be a four area system. Spiritual, Financial, Emotional and Physical. The Spiritual is a personal thing, and I won’t get into that yet. The financial is obvious. Work, pay off bills, and get to where I want to be and have what I need to move forward. Emotional, well that I have to work on. But I feel when I find peace in the other three, the emotional will be at rest. The one that I am going to focus on is the Physical. Because, basically, I am not in good health. And I don’t want to feel like this anymore, let alone die. But if I don’t change now, my time is borrowed. Too many of you are precious to me in ways you cannot imagine. And to leave early would not be good.
So I am embarking on a new way to live. Proper diet, exercise and less stress. And to start I am 90 kick-start. I have things I want to do, and I can’t do them the way I am now. I will not fail. I cannot fail.
SourceURL:file:///Macintosh%20HD/Users/navxomatt7/Desktop/The%20Reluctant%20Hero.doc
The Reluctant Hero
It started out like every other day for me. I woke up, and struggled to get out of bed. The aches and pains of years of inactivity and poorly executed attempts at exercise had taken their toll. Arthritis, lack of cartilage in the joints and being overweight compounded to make living tougher than it should. But still I had to get going. Work had to come, bills had to be paid, and the humdrum crawl of life was to continue. I saw no hope in a good future. There was a bad vibe in my life and I couldnât shake it.
But I got up anyways, shaved and got dressed. The outfit was silly, turquoise shirt over red pants. But it was a job. Chicken World. What a job. It paid the bills, barely. But in this economy it was better than nothing.
Work this day went as well as can be expected, frustrated angry customers wanting everything discounted or free. I donât know how any company stays in business. The world has gone to pot. Countries all over the world fight for precious resources across borders. Very few do not fight. Even here in the US, we fight. Fight with countries all over the world trying to secure rights to oil, coal and the most precious, water. But with the economy has collapsed and running on fumes. Politicians argue amongst each other for their states rights and it is only a matter of time before a civil war breaks out. The outlook is bleak. Every country in the world is a âthird worldâ country. Something is bound to happen.
And about a year ago the first leg snapped. India and Pakistan pretty much wiped each other out in a nuclear war. Only about 6 missiles were fired, but millions died and both lands, including parts of Afghanistan are now uninhabitable, because of radiation. Then shortly afterwards the Iranians blockaded the Strait of Hormuz and a shooting match between Western ships and the Iranian Navy. And to fuel the fire even more, Israel launched an attack on the Iranian nuclear power system, crippling the country. Shortly after that Israel was under attack by neighboring Arab countries. They fended off the attacks and their retaliation was intense, leaving the Middle East in chaos. Russia and China started fighting over borders and resources. The world was a mess. South American countries started to invade. Like a plague, war had been initiated all over the world. The news agencies were calling it World War 3. It was. And in the US, all basic terrorists started attacking, and small splinter groups started taking what they needed to survive. The Military was called in and a martial law type existence was issued. After about two months the martial law was taken back, and an unquiet peace. People went back to a tense life, similar to what was but everyone was pensive. Oil prices and food prices went up. After a while people started growing their own produce, even began to raise their own animals in places, just to eat cheaper than buying their food. A police presence was, and is, constantly felt and observation cameras were installed during the martial law.
I, like millions of Americans, began to take public transportation to work since we could no longer afford our vehicles. Observing people you could see the blankness in the lack of life. Hope was beginning to be as rare as oil.
There was one more thing that had people all over the world scratching their heads. Occasionally there were stories and rumors of âsuperâ individuals doing things and taking advantage of the situation. In South Korea, several soldiers crossed the border from North Korea and caused massive damage to military installations before being killed. It took far more weapons than normal to kill them. The story was they were on drugs, but conspiracy theories were that they were genetically altered. Other stories from all over the world trickled in from London, Moscow, Beijing and New York. All were similar, individuals extraordinarily powerful. Some were killed and others escaped.
The questions still linger.
Today was just another day for me, to a point. I got up, tired and groggy just like every other day. Then shuffled off to work, where I didn’t really want to go(really, how many people actually want to go). But I did, and the night was really busy, but it was a good night, even with a few hiccups. But it brought me to think even more than usual. About myself and about the future.
I watched videos on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. My respect is with the troops who serve and have served. And part of me, the dreamy adventurer, wished I was able to do some of those heroic deeds. I am too old, and too out of shape to do anything like that. And was just too chicken when I was younger. But it isn’t the heroism, the far away lands or the feeling of doing some good. It is the feeling of adventure. The world is too small these days for true adventure. The areas unexplored on this big blue marble are either too inaccessible, or are controlled by very hostile forces. The true explorer has become a rare or extinct breed. This is a shame. We could use some daring gentleman explorer to inspire the best in us. We had a touch of this type of hero in the astronauts of the 60’s and 70’s (and even the shuttle astronauts from the 80’s until lately). But now in this country our politicians bicker and lie about their records, taxes, plans for us and our future. We have people dependent on the government partially because the lack of jobs or work. But I believe it is because we in this country, have a lack of the feeling of the prospect of finding our own way and finding our own fortune and our own way. We lack the drive for adventure that our forefathers and pioneers had in the old days to search out new frontiers. Also we have worn out our welcome in the world. Most of the world hates us outright or despises us for whatever reason they have that day. And I wish that these people that hate the US, would realize (along with a great many in this country too!) that it is our ‘State Department’ and our arrogant government officials who try to impose their power on the rest of the world. Plus I think that there on some in the world who have agendas beyond the political. They resent us for being involved all over the world. And, incredibly, many of these people who resent us were schooled here, lived here, and capitalized of the very way of life they claim to despise. I ask, do you think we should go back to the stone age? Like the TV show ‘Revolution’ where all electronics weren’t able to be used. How would the people survive? Many millions would die from starvation, disease, civil war or from despots taking over areas and trying to create their own little countries. We in this country, I am afraid, would not be able to survive long.
The way I see it, if that were to happen, the masses would panic and bedlam would reign. Gangs would try and seize all weapons and food that are readily available. And if the government were to gain power over areas it would institute martial law and all freedoms would be lost. Well then, all freedoms would be lost anyways I guess! We here in America have a great thing, despite the problems and setbacks we have had in the present. But, we take our freedoms for granted. We have forgotten the adventurer spirit that made this country the great one it once was and still is. We have let corruption and greed ruin business and government that was meant to be our defender from outside aggressors, but now have become the aggressor from within. People have used the laws created to bolster their own fame and fortunes and gain more power than they actually need at the expense of others. Also we have ‘special interest groups’ and power barons pulling the strings, using those strings to manipulate the citizens of this great nation through lies and the biased reporting of the ‘news’. This is why they are called ‘journalists’ and not ‘reporters’. Reporters should report the facts of what is happening, not give their opinions or take sides. I am really not fond of newspapers and news stations such as CNN ‘endorsing’ a candidate in an election. Can we just go back to the days of truth?
This will never happen. We, as a nation and people, are at a precipice. We are the edge and we are dying. The colonial spirit that built the US is near death. When something happens on our soil, or elsewhere in the world, we now apologize and cower. The world has lost all respect for us, not because of our actions. But because we, as Americans, have let ourselves get taken over by idealists and power mongers. And here is an excellent question for those people. If the country declines into anarchy and the dollar crashes, what will all those millions of dollars be worth in banks that are closed? Paper money is useless, unless you are burning it for fuel. Money is an object, easily replaced. I don’t want to say I have a solution, nor do I know which way to go. I do know that if I had a Time Machine, I would escape this prison that generations have let happen. In a country where at least half the people don’t trust the media and the politicians, yet we still let things happen, what hope is there? When ‘news’ is reported, and most people’s first reaction is conspiracy. Sad.
If there was a way to bring back that adventurer spirit, we could save ourselves. I wish things were different. Some really ‘smart’ people who are doctors or college presidents wonder why the average people find superheroes fascinating. I think it two fold. One is that we yearn for someone to take the fight to evil and stop them, as in WW II. Second is that adventurer spirit is still there, even in small amounts (hence the love for Indiana Jones-types also). We need a symbol of what was. What we were and we could be again, if we were able. I would love to see the greatness of America again. Our ingenuity, our resolve, our faith in God and humanity. To be good stewards of this great planet we have been given. But the terrible truth is most people in the world have been corrupted but material things and violent factions of religions. Peace will not happen as things are now. Man’s inhumanity toward fellow men. Goodness has become a shadow of what it was. I will continue to dream of a great future. I will even write about the feelings in my heart and soul. I will do this until I draw my last breath and am reunited with my Grandparents, family members and friends who have gone before me into God’s hands.