That Little Voice

Times are strange these days, or maybe it is just my mind that seems strange. I’ve been told that for many years so I can’t blame it on aging cranial cells.

It seems there is more anxiety and hostility whirling around in the atmosphere, and my atmosphere is being affected as well. Unrest saturates all areas of life, including spiritual discussions, politics, world peace, economics, child rearing, school curriculums, water usage, plastic dishes, and dog training.

I just threw in dog training. I have not a clue if there is controversy over whether to use a clicker or a treat or both when you are trying to get your doglet to eat dogfood and not your patio furniture.

I found a loud ‘NO’, stomping my feet, waving my hands, and a pitiful look did nothing to stop Sergio from his desire to chew on plastic knots holding my outdoor chairs together.

But a bit of age has tempered his cravings for this particular play toy. Or, it could be he has developed a more sophisticated palate and prefers chicken feet and hamburger meat more than plastic!

Let me undigress—I wonder if the higher level of angry discourse is caused by our separateness. Seeing a picture of Putin sitting at one end of the longest table ever built in Russia with his underlings some 400 feet away at the other end seemed to be his way to avoid contracting Covid or ensuring no one in his inner circle could nail him with a punch in the face.

Maybe it is easier to say and/or take tacky and hurtful actions from a distance. That relieves one from having a frontal confrontation with the target of their verbal or written abuse. Some might call that cowardice, but I don’t want to cast stones at another’s actions. That too would be considered cowardly.

I’m merely attempting to get a grip on why people seem so distant, and hostile, and brittle these days. Maybe they aren’t getting enough treats for being nice.

That seemed to work on my dogs.