permanence

  I was thinking that permanence is the most comforting thing we can have. The phycologists talk about that all the time. A stable childhood, two parents and all that. I think of it as a continuity. It's the natural flow of things. Natural changes will occur over time, just as a river changes its' course. That happens very slowly and often goes unnoticed. It is only when man intervenes that the process is disrupted. Same thing in life. That can be seen when looking at the big picture. Ironically many of us spend our lives seeking change. It may begin with the desire to get out of school. As children we all want to be on our own as soon as possible. In our defense, it is what we are urged to do since birth, get out there. Get an education, get a job, move out of your parents house. And the goal is to create something permanent. A steady job, a steady marriage, two and a half children and we are living the American dream. Well, except in todays' world that isn't the narrative anymore. Today it is all about change. Presidents have run their campaign on change. We all saw how that worked out, but that is for another day. But what I'm seeing is an instability, everything being built on change. That's why our society is so unsettled, the foundation has been changed and not for the better. There are times when the best change is no change. Yes, we hear the term the "status quo" and have been conditioned to think of that as a bad thing. That isn't necessarily so. It's a Latin phrase meaning the existing state of affairs. The existing state of affairs may be the best possible state of affairs there is! Sometimes we just shouldn't change a thing. 

 It's an interesting thing really. When we are young we want change, we embrace it, we rally for it, protest, and march for change. Then, when we become older we hesitate a bit, chalking that up to maturity, wisdom and experience. We still want change, just not that much. And then, at some point, and that is different for each of us, we begin to oppose change. I mean really oppose, not just a hesitancy, a stoppage. It is usually at that point we begin to look back and desire the things that we changed. It isn't a regret, not that, although for some I suppose it is, but rather a longing for what was, the permanence of the past. You can't change the past you know. In todays' thinking many are getting off the track when it comes to that having some foolish notion that you can erase the past or make corrections to it. It's also the reason many of us oppose the changes being proposed, you can't take it back, a lesson learned in life. If you listen closely to what is being proposed today you should be concerned. The proposals are things that can't be taken back, at least not without a great deal of struggle and confrontation. Those things are the steps proposed that move us ever closer to a socialist society. A socialist society is a dependent society. Equality is the word being substituted for that. Everyone is equally dependent. Following that nothing changes for the better, it only gets worse. A review of history and the great societies of the ancient world is the proof of that. Truth is, there are plenty of examples of that in the world right now. Venezuela jumps to the forefront and Brazil. Cuba is another great example. 

  I do think in the final irony, the permanence of death is what most of us try to avoid. There's no taking that back! In death we are all equal though and isn't that a good thing? Interesting that the major religions of the world teach us death is not the end, but a new beginning. I'd say it was a change alright, something different. I find myself in opposition to that change at this time. And that is from someone who embraces permanence, who loves things to just stay the way they were. Notice I say were, not what I think they will become. The past is the sure bet in all of this, you know what you got. Security, confidence and reserved expectations. I really don't like thinking about the next permanent situation.