John's Blog

Recently, I haven't had much time or inclination to blog, as testified to by the absence of new posts. Sometimes work and real life demands just keep you occupied, and blogging suddenly feels like a frivolous waste of time. And then you can factor in a major case of "teflon for brains" on my part, where images, ideas, etc all just kept rushing past my head without anything "sticking" or feeling significant enough to comment on or even to do a cheap link post. This periodic lack of interest is something I've seen before, and usually the pendulum swings the other way, but so far not this time. I'll break my silence for a moment with a rambling rant.

I'm reminded of something that happened last week. I was listening to my iPod, and I noticed that many of my playlists were randomly skipping songs, and refusing to play many of my favorite songs. Throwing caution to the winds, I did a total reset and at that point discovered that I had missed a firmware update that included a bug fix for the problem I was experiencing. Many times, I wish that there were a human equivalency of that "reset process" where "bug fixes" could be painlessly downloaded into the 'ol brain, just like an upgrade on the computer.

But sometimes, life does give us subtle reset moments. How many times do we have a "there, but for the grace of God go I" experience that make us realize just how lucky we really are? How often do we get an opportunity to take a step back and see ourselves through unclouded and unfiltered lenses? Not often enough probably, and when that happens do we utilize it as a catalyst for permanent change? Sure, the rush of purified air into a stale, stagnant room can be exhilarating, but the feeling seldom lasts.

I hope I'm wrong, but the horribly tragic massacre in Virginia will probably be a missed opportunity. After the shock wears off and we can gain some insight into what caused this deadly rampage, it's likely than the topic of gun control will once again be part of our national discourse. Will any meaningful action occur? Very doubtful, since most Democratic candidates will run away from this topic as fast as their little feet will carry them. Most are mindful of the negative impact this would have on their ability to appeal to red state voters, and nobody wants to be the next Al Gore and have this become the deciding factor in an election loss.

So my idea of a "human software patch" remains an appealing and elusive goal, since it's a meaningless fantasy. How typically American of me to want to take the easy way to resolve difficulties. That's the kind of attitude that took us down the road to the problems we're facing now. But I knew I wasn't part of the solution, although it isn't so easy for me to accept that I'm part of the problem.

Tags: pointless rambling