Disappointment

In early August 1914, Europeans were euphoric. They cheered, sang, and waved flags. At last, there would be war; at last, they would get to fight on The Field of Honor. At last, they would find meaning in their meaningless lives. It had been a long time waiting.

But the war was a disappointment. The field of honor turned out to be a run-of-the-mill farm field that reeked of corpses and feces.

In the spring of 1917, the Russians had had enough. Also, many French soldiers longed for home. By November 1918, even the Germans had grown tired of the party and left the festivities, disappointed.

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When the Germans went to the polls in November 1932, the Nazi Party won 33% of the vote and became the largest party in the Reichstag. In January 1933, a coalition government was formed, and Hitler was appointed Chancellor.

In early March 1933, elections were held again. The Nazi Party now won 43.9% of the vote. (The Communists were prevented from participating.) On March 23, Hitler introduced a bill in the Reichstag to transfer all power to him personally. The right-wing parties voted for the bill; liberals, Catholics, and Protestants did as well. Hitler became an absolute ruler, and millions of Germans were overjoyed. At last, they had regained faith in the future.

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What if you, too, have been deceived? Imagine if everything you believe in and live for is misconceptions or pure idiocy. People have always been deceived into one thing or another, only to realize later it was a misconception. Or pure idiocy.

Neo-liberalism, neo-conservatism, neo-darwinism, nihilism, postmodernism, this or that particular guru, pastor, priest, mullah, imam, or spiritual teacher. 

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It is important to be passionate about something, fired up. It doesn't matter what you are passionate about: your homeland, Jesus Christ, or the Prophet Mohammad, a free market economy, or art. An extinguished person feels tired and lonely. A passionate person, on the other hand, is full of life. It really sparkles in their eyes.  

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Words are not just words. Words are magic spells that can transform a person into pretty much anything. You can become right-wing or left-wing, religious or an atheist. You can become so unhappy that you want to kill yourself.

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If there is no afterlife, you will at least not be disappointed when you die.               But if there is an afterlife, chances are you will be very disappointed.

The Doomsday Clock

Humanity's defense spending now exceeds more than $2 trillion annually. But that's not enough; now it's comprehensive military rearmament that has the highest priority. The whole world is rearming. We need new nuclear weapons, new missile systems, new drones, and new submarines. We have to defend ourselves against each other. The struggle against climate change has been deprioritized.

We live in a very dangerous and crucial time. The Doomsday Clock is now at 89 seconds to midnight.

The magic of reality

You have two eyes. They scan these letters and convert them into electrical nerve impulses that quickly find their way into your brain, like a failed and petty New Year's cracker.

Maybe you don't have a brain. Perhaps it is a brain that has you. But what difference does it make to you in your life?

Anyway, you also have a nose, a mouth, ears, and feet. You have a heart that pumps blood and an abdominal cavity that is filled with disgusting entrails. Now you have come here, for some reason.

Reading is a mystical activity, but you don't find it mystical. Not the least. You are so used to reading. It's an everyday thing. But think about it, your brain converts these letters, in some incomprehensible way, to an inner voice that you can clearly hear inside your skull. Isn't this amazing? Is it really me speaking in your brain? If you listen very carefully, you can hear that this voice has a dialect and a tone that you recognize. This is your voice, yes, but it has now been temporarily taken over by me.