The World's Gone Nuts

It's a beautiful day, and the world is going stark, raving mad. I'm sitting here at Kids Space, giving my two boys a chance to enjoy the pleasant weather and get some energy out while I just try to silently, quietly detox from the world. Because, as I said, the world has lost its marbles.

I used to joke that I was an information "junkie." I'm sometimes obsessed with keeping up-to-date in current events, whether it's basic news, politics, sports - you name it. And with the internet always on, the options are endless. But the more I see of this incredible "information age" the more disillusioned I become. From the everyday slandering of the President and the military by alleged 'news' organizations to the sensationalist drama of Paris Hilton Goes to Jail and the like - I wonder, are there any grownups left out there? I swear it's almost like Jr. High. Our society and its institutions have a serious case of ADD/ADHD. I'll have more to say about that some other time. The bottom line is that in the face of an existential threat, people with no sense of history are declaring what is good evil and what is evil all our fault. This psychosis has only one ending - complete and utter detachment from reality. Because, after all, what really matters is whether Harry Potter lives or dies.

I'm reading the unabridged edition of Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe. What a remarkable and deeply spiritual book about the Providence of God! (And if you think it's just a 300-year old version of the TV Lost or Tom Hanks in Castaway, you've missed the entire story). There's a quote in this book that recently caught my attention:

How infinitely good the Providence is which has provided, in its government of mankind, such narrow bounds to his sight and knowledge of things; and though he walks in the midst of so many thousand dangers, the sight of which, if discovered to him, would distract his mind and sink his spirits, he is kept serene and calm by having the events of things hid from his eyes, and knowing nothing of the dangers which surround him.

I don't know if I can or should ease up on my "need to know" predilections. As a sinner, I've already succumbed to the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. But I do know this: out here at the park, it's a beautiful day.

Where to Begin ...

My adventures in blogging began over three years ago on a now defunct site, and promptly ended within about two months. I wanted to "blog with a purpose," to show that I could still write, communicate and otherwise convey something of the truth to others. However, whereas some can create to an audience of none, I'm the type that generally feeds off of the flow of conversation.

Here's the challenge I have with blogging: What should I say? I spend a small part of my day reading various blogs, mostly political and news blogs but occasionally those of friends and other people I know. I have those moments where I imagine myself being one of those bloggers that other people read. I guess that comes from my innate desire to be a writer/teacher. But the time commitment is unbelievable, and I find it challenging to "just say anything about everything."

Sometimes, I might have a personal story to share. Other times, I might have a parable or illustration to share. Ideally, I'd love to participate in a group blog not unlike what National Review Online has called The Corner. Just a group of people who are willing to conversationally exchange ideas, share links to timewasters like Mini Golf, and perhaps even some "iron sharpens iron" debate.

In the end, though, the written word is too important to me to sit here and post about every mundane moment of my day. I'm just not built to be that transparent, and I frankly don't have the time. I like to write with a purpose, for a purpose. I want to write not only about what might interest me, but what interests others. And therein lies the challenge.

Is this a new start? Who knows.