ANTICIPATION. CONCERN.

     We go through life anticipating, good and bad. When we are kids we anticipate the life we will lead as an adult- and usually way off from future reality. We anticipate the happiness of a birthday or with sadness on the anniversary of a death of a loved one. We have concern over daily life such as paying the bills, or taking tests in school, or will a lie be uncovered and then what?
     So what about now, what about these concepts as we live out our Act III of our lives. Should we have any anticipation, or should it be limited to only short term connections and what about concern? Should we even bother about twenty years from now? Why? Our Scene v will probably be over so "What, me worry?" as Alfred E. Newman would say.
     Well, our Act III scene v does not mean that our lives and our contributions or harmful acts are left behind. Indeed, they are right there for our children and grandchildren and great grandchildren to live with - or not, for so fearsome is the concern about the future of life on our planet, our Earth.
     The movies and books re the Apocalypse are growing in number. Some have a devastated earth with the natural environment so depleted, so twisted and abused that life under anything other than sheer survival is not possible. It shows a world possibly devastated by disease, strange new ones or old ones to which we have lost our immunity. We read of a world where brutality reigns, where hope no longer exists, and life is brutal. And we read of a world devastated by tyrants, with the concept of democracy lost to the ages. Why this 'growth" industry?
     When we have a man who puts on a cowboy hat and rides a horse claiming to love Nature, but who then agrees to a wide open drilling and mining on formerly off limits land - well, what do we anticipate about that? When we see the results of shale mining, of strip mining of coal, of the foulness of the air from fossil fuels, we should have tears rolling down the face, even as that old Indian chief used to do in the PSA ad years ago. Thousands of acres of trees, of fertile land, of land which needed to be left alone, of rivers polluted and poisoned with chemicals, of air so dense with pollution that smog no longer covers it and man can no longer breathe it.
     So yes, we need to anticipate and have concern. Because we are older does not mean we have lost our minds, our hearts and our lungs. It does not mean that we live in a world oblivious to what is going on. It is the story of an old man planting olive trees and when he is asked why, when he will surely be dead when these trees bear fruit, he answers but my grandchildren will sit beneath them. A future is always there - we hope.
     But then again, we have those who see only the present and what they can mine from it, how much money they can grub from it, and never mind the consequences. Full steam ahead and all else be damned. And we have the hateful sayings, the hateful prejudice and hatred of others that never seems to go out of style.
     The other day, sitting in a waiting room, I overheard one woman, waiting to be treated by a Jewish doctor, telling another person that when this spouse dies, just go find a rich person, a Jew, as they have all the money!! Seriously? Still here? Wish some of that money would flow to my bank account or better yet to my struggling kids and grandkids! Or here is another one, sent to me and I publish it only to make a point. 
   

	If I were you and had enough of this place I would move. You just like to complain and be a miserable human. Wrapping yourself in religion doesn't help you either. Remember God sees all. on DOES IT GET ANY WORSE? CAN IT? Publish | Delete | Spam	Anonymous	on 7/29/17
	This is from one who sends me "love" notes all the time, and that is okay, because she cannot help herself, can you, Gracie, whether you type in your name or not. Where the hell do you get religion from? Yes, I am Jewish and have made no secret about it but do not rate people on the basis of religion. You own that, dearie!! And as for G-d seeing all, please, He sees you too!      And who says I do not like it here. In fact, I love it here and have so stated many times, but what does that have to do with trying to make it a better place. Certainly those who use foul language in their little messages, those who tell me to get Zika, or use bath salts, a toxic new drug, are certainly not capable of being contained within the family of humans. So, Gracie dear, Anonymous, so to speak, why the religion comment? Is it that you are part and parcel of the growing anti Semitism, of the growing hatreds that are proliferating round the globe? If so, and it sure looks like it, I pity you. I very much do so.      So yes, I have concerns and anticipations on many fronts. I worry greatly what will be here in the Village both short term and long term. I would love to live out my days here and then leave it to the kids, but in order to do that I must anticipate. Anticipate the results of a selfish 'leader'. Anticipate the short and long term harm from deteriorating waterways. Anticipate the difficulties keeping up the joint with money flowing out in secret and in ignoring the rules. I have concern when we have no democracy here. I have concern when so many people are blind to the fact that we must anticipate the future and work towards it. One cannot play all the while, can one?      And I have grave concerns re our country. We are no longer what we were. I see nothing wrong sharing responsibility for our globe with others, but not with pulling away from the world. Right now we have a President who is not valid in office, who seems to be suffering from some form of mental illness and his brain seems to be deteriorating at a rapid pace. We have people in government who could care less about anything other than fattening up their wallets and stock portfolios. We have the deterioration of pride in service, of pride in democracy, in determination to keep that democracy.      In short, there are many reasons why one should anticipate and have and show concern. Sometimes it is good and sometimes it dwells on the not so good. But it must be there for without it we might as well just throw in the towel and calling someone a name due to religion or race or ethnicity or country of origin and lumping all together and lying about the facts does not help matters; in fact, it worsens them.      So yes, I anticipate. I think of the Friday afternoon movie going. I think of the shows for this season, here and outside the Village. I think of my friends and family. I think of the hugs from the little ones. I think of more years with my best friend and love, I think and anticipate the visits to and from the kids and grandchildren and the skyping and the calls, the shared confidences. I have concerns about the prices of fares and whether I will now have to worry about being beaten up on a plane or being thrown off for whatever. I worry and have concern about hatred and at times have concerns that I am spitting into the wind but then again- to give up hope, to give up concern, to give up anticipation is to give up my humanity. NEVER!! So join me and let us put a positive spin and result on anticipation and concern. It is the way to a future for all.