Mere Apathy

I can't seem to get riled up about all the things I see in the news or hear people discussing. I have no fear of ISIS or Ebola. I get confused when I hear Glenn Beck say that people of faith are under attack, and then use Christians allegedly not being able to speak against Islam as an example. I find this ironic since the United States government literally attacks Muslims (i.e. people of faith) on a daily basis while Glenn Beck freely criticizes Islam on a national radio show.

Today someone tried to convince me that "we" need to drop more bombs on ISIS in order to "get the job done". I tried to explain that the U.S.'s job in the Middle East will never be done because they have no intention of leaving. They want to rule it. He responded that I just don't get it. That, I don't deny. I don't get it. I don't understand how Americans keep falling for the same bit over and over again. Maybe it's because Americans are stupid. It's difficult for me to compare the intellect of the "greatest nation in the history of the earth" to any of the planet's other populations because I am not well traveled. But if we really are among the brightest and best people in the world, I weep for the miserable imbecility of the foreign hordes.

Fortunately, my exposure to these moronic arguments is fairly limited. I have no television service and I have no computer. I subscribe to no newspapers. I only occasionally make use of social media. There are a couple of people with whom I can discuss such subjects as politics, war, religion, economics, and philosophy. But I mostly try to avoid such conversations with most people. It is too exhausting. Sometimes I think I should keep trying to enlighten those around me and teach them about the benefits of liberty, free markets, and individualism. Or the evils of war and democracy. Or the beautiful logic of sound economics. But lately I've mostly been apathetic about the inevitable results of our State worshipping society. Most people won't or can't comprehend. We are all going to get what they deserve.

I'm just going to keep focusing on the things I actually do enjoy, such as socializing with friends, reading Mencken, criticizing people, listening to Rage Against the Machine, being amused by Doug Stanhope, working out, and consuming alcohol. In short, I'm going to exercise what precious freedoms I have to their fullest extent.