Either way, the import of the sentence, or question, is clear. Or is it? What is ware? For that matter, what is where? Where is where and is it the same as Ware? Where, in fact, does where disappear and become 'there'? Are the two the same or does changing from where to there or here to there change the meaning of these words? Does it change our orientation, or does it not matter at all? Confused yet?
Ware actually is a quaint former mill town, typical of old New England, situated outside of Springfield, Massachusetts. For two wonderful summers we were on education staff at a camp just outside of Ware and as loyal citizens of camp, we bought and wore that t-shirt proudly.
See, we knew where Ware was, we knew where where was. We knew when where turned into there and how to distinguish between the two. We knew where we were in terms of literal and figurative terms. We knew, or were willing, to go from here to there if that proved to be an improvement, for us, to us, for others, for the population of the camp as a whole and/or for oneself. 'Where' was clearly defined as was 'there' and 'here'.
Somehow things changed. We now live in a time when language is no longer clear and where and there are confused and confusing. There, for example, was where extremists occupied a place on the political spectrum, a place manifestly to be avoided. However, 'there' has disappeared from the lexicon unless we accept that 'here', a former location of sanity, has now become that strange, alien place we once called and recognized, and avoided, as 'there'. This was not a positive change.
Are you confused even more? Seeking some kind of handle to understand the definitions and parameters of here and there, how we can return from our present here to there, once our pleasant and beneficial here? Do not feel too bad, think yourself deficient at some level, for in fact, the majority, or at least a very vocal minority, are equally as confused, mistaking their new 'here' as a good place to be. Exactly when we should be turning that present 'here' into 'there', that place or state of being to be avoided.
So, where are we? Whereinthehellisware? The sad truth is that we truly do not know anymore, have misread the old paper maps, are confused by misdirections of self-declared 'waze' people, and are increasingly finding ourselves in what can possibly, once unthinkable, turn into the fog of the 'nacht und nebel' phenomenon, trait, of authoritarian countries. That is certainly WHERE we do not wish to find ourselves, that should never become our HERE. Always remain a THERE.
And there you have it. Uh oh. There? Again? Where is that there? For that matter, what is 'it'? What do we have and how do we have 'it'? Is it definable? Understandable? Desirable? Can this mysterious and vague 'it' be quantifiable? How are we to indeed be able to distinguish one 'it' from another? What happens if we cannot do so? Do we lose 'it'? What is the result of losing 'it'?
This is precisely our new state of being, our new here. It is a place of everchanging definitions, of shifting 'heres' and 'theres', never becoming clear as to whether 'it' is indeed at our location or has it shifted, turning our 'here' into a 'there' and we need to move? Or do we stay? If we have lost our souls, our minds, in this nebulous world, then how do we find or create new ways, new desirable 'heres', 'wheres' and 'theres', a new 'it', all of which will provide us with a much better platform on which to stand and balance. A situation manifestly to be desired.
Back to the title. Perhaps instead of
'whereinthehellisware?' we need to change that t-shirt logo to this:
'whereinthehellisamerica?' Where indeed.
Where. In. The. Hell. Is. America?
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