Thursday, July 24, 2025

WHAT'S IN A WORD?

  

These days words aplenty fly through the air often with a change in meaning and intent almost on an hourly basis at times. However, some retain original meaning, and such a word is dour. This is a word more used in classical literature, perhaps deemed a tad old-fashioned, but for my purpose, it hits the spot. How is that, you might ask? Let's check the definition. 

·         Silently ill-humored or gloomy,

There are several thin distinctions among the definitions, but all remain true to the intent of the word. Mind you, these definitions, this word, are completely apropos for use in discussing the mood of the day, particularly so for our days, the todays we are living and the tomorrows to come unless we actually learn to crack a smile and see the humor out there, so direly needed. Unfortunately, we have lost understanding of that truth, much to our detriment.

Hence, one can see the harshness, the unpleasantness, the hopelessness contained within and know the irreparable harm it engenders to individuals and to groups alike. A true downer, and so prevalent in our times, so discouraging, that we often give up before even trying. It perpetuates negativity difficult to overcome and efforts to do so are dissipated, no success possible.

To be dour is to be pessimistic of desire and efforts to turning our world around, of engendering a can-do attitude, once a prevalent mood of the American people, now almost drained from our souls. Efforts to move ahead, to view the world with optimism are negated, discounted, hence the development of a society of negativity and pessimism. Despite the best of intentions, the mood, the impetus, is spoiled before it is born and progress is halted, even rolled backwards. 

Humor is unseen, forbidden, deemed deleterious to the world. It dies of neglect or morphs into a bitter, sharp clawed humor which only induces snarky laughter and a shake of heads. It gives way to an atmosphere and attitude favorable to the growth of dourness within society, so manifestly harmful to the world. A life without humor is a dry, unfriendly one, full of harsh criticism and weak on praise and encouragement. It crushes efforts to explore possibilities. A damaged society, dry, hopeless, soul crushing, remains behind. A society which practically outlaws gentle, yet biting, self-criticism and leaves no room for such. Those who persist in satire, necessary but not destructive, are crushed via the tools of a repressive society.

Welcome to America, 2025.

We have set ourselves back decades. Trashed the best of humanity. The forward movement is stunted and defied by those who benefit from the existence and dominance of a broken society, of corrupt leaders, of moral and legal wrongs deemed right and proper, a world of bizarre decisions and twisted values. It is a world where bitterness deepens and threats to those who offer resistance to this "New Society" are deemed to be part of "others", harmful to society and thus qualified to be demeaned, belittled, dehumanized. 

Throughout the millennia, the Jewish nation has been assigned the role of canary in the mine. When their voices are silenced, when their humanity is challenged, it is then time to heed the warning. Time for those who believe in the goodness of humanity, in the infinite realm of positive possibilities of   growth for humanity to step out and up. To speak, to act, to present the truth and to remember the importance of humor, to discourage the dour state of mind so important to those who crush humanity. Such a time is now. NOW.

Time to recognize the truth, to be strong and courageous, to hear the truth from those who speak it. Time to evaluate decisions. and for the warnings to be heard, heeded and implemented. 

Hear some of the truth now. Read it again and again and know its immediacy, know its importance, its truth. No matter how hard it might be to assimilate, internalize, understand and act.

Read these lines spoken bravely in the open, on air. Words spoken even as we know the paranoia and revengeful acts, the madness of the one to whom these lines are directed. Know the difficulty of the steep uphill climb we have ahead of us.  Gentle words with sharp meaning and prediction.  Pepper ...and Salt writes, “I'm worried that one of the conspiracy theories I believe in may be true.”

 In truth, it will not be a conspiracy waged by the GOP, too cowardly, too craven, to oppose the conspiracy of their chosen master, Trump. Nor will it be one from the extreme 'woke" of the Democratic Party. It will be the plot by Trump and minions who openly conspire to overthrow this     nation's government, to crush democracy and install autocracy in its place. The man who accuses others of treason even as he is the traitor, he and those who support him and his filthy plans. To crush   democracy in this nation and replace it with autocracy. The conspiracy to shred the structure of government of this nation. That is the conspiracy about which we must have concern.  If we do not open our eyes, ears and minds to the truth, well, dour will be a troop of clowns compared to what the new reality would be for us.  

 " ... And. expressed his wish for Donald Trump supporters to lose their money for forcing the country to endure a second term of Trump as U.S. president.

"I hope you're losing tons of money, those of you who thought this would be OK," Daniels bluntly told Trump voters. "My question is, what are you guys going to do about it?"

" ... responded by saying Trump's tariffs are going to hurt Trump voters and "your neighbors," to which Daniels agreed and added: "I think, at the end of the day, that's what's going to do it. ‘Wait a minute, the grocery bill is what? $180 more? I can't get that car that we have to have unless I pay another $8,000. What? Who do I blame for that? Who do I see about that?' One person."

"At the end of the day it would be about just the price of eggs, did it go up or down, because that's what he told me he was going to lower the price of eggs or my grocery bill," Daniels continued about Trump, dissing the president as a "snake oil salesman".

Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow.

What will it be?



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