I'm sick and tired of the whole mess...outrage fatigue.

[BeHereNow]

Anyone else?
It just seems to get worse, never better.
No consequences, no accountability and
no congressional intervention.

I'm really tired of it all.
The list of transgressions just keeps growing- I can't keep up
with it all.
The list of "Justice is served" doesn't even exist.

Perhaps I need a break from it all...
Over the years, we have shared SO many
"Ah-HA! This is it, this is the one that will bring them down!"
And yet nothing comes of any of it.

Can I get a witness?

BHN (sighing in resignation)

[babylonsister]

1. Pipe down. Lots of us have been sick and tired for years. Me? I'm

going away for a few weeks to either gain a new one or lose my perspective. Wish me luck.

[BeHereNow]

2. Yes- YEARS...it wears you down, doesn't it?

I can't imagine what the turning point will be.
There doesn't appear to be one.
My best thoughts for you on your break.
BHN

[spanone]

78. good luck babylonsister...you'll be missed

[bdamomma]

84. my feelings exactly, you will be missed babylonsister

take a breather, we will be here when you resurface.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

93. Enjoy your new environment,

and hurry back. I will miss you greatly. Damn, I'm selfish. :evilgrin:

[Newsjock]

3. A-men!

It's taking a huge toll on my health and relationships. Yet I can't turn away, because I know the stakes are so high. And I still feel a sense of responsibility because my work as a journalist was not sufficient to prevent this from happening -- and my work today is doing nothing to end this madness. I'm ready to concede defeat and leave the industry, but I fear that will just make me feel even worse.

Good grief, the guy ripped open the scars of Vietnam today, and he's getting a pass on it!? What in bloody hell has happened to this country?

[BeHereNow]

6. Makes you almost wish you were blissfully ignorant, eh?

I know many people who are just carrying on with their lives,
as if none of it existed, and I guess for them- it doesn't.
Sometimes I wish I didn't know and I could feel like they do
instead of feeling this impending sense of doom.

It does wear on your health- emotionally and physically.
BHN

[JuniperLea]

22. And when they wake up to whiff the cappucino...

They will blame us for making it all fall apart, instead of realizing we were warning them that it was all falling apart.

[BeHereNow]

29. Well, there IS that to look forward to..."We tried to tell you..."

I particularly relish that moment with some of the die hard bushbots I know.
heh-
BHN

[tom_paine]

48. You can try telling them that as the National Neighborhood watch takes you

to Halliburton Homeland Security Relocation Camp.

I prefer my statements to be more declarative.

[MotorCityMan]

23. Yes, I have wished for ignorance a few times since 2000

My outrage meter blew up quite awhile ago. I have been in a state of shock since the abomination that was the 2000 election.

My partner tells me to calm down (he doesn't follow politics at all and just hears it from me) and not worry about it. He doesn't understand my sense of outrage, shame, disgust, and anger at what has happened to our country.

This is NOT what America is supposed to be.

[bdamomma]

85. I agree with your post

but I agree also with your last comment. It's unbelievable, these thugs are american thugs, and are still in abuse of power, between PNAC'ers and those maniac religious fanatics we are experiencing the worse.

[JTFrog]

24. Sometimes I wish I had taken

the blue pill too. :dilemma:

[SeattleGirl]

4. I like Bill Maher's term for it: Fuck-up Fatigue

I've had it big time for a long time.

[benddem]

5. I feel the same way

it is really difficult to be in this state. I'm sick of it all. The primary fighting is driving me crazy...we are going to have to put up with this and Bushit for another year and 1/2. I want a revolution.

[BeHereNow]

7. As many have pointed out- Americans don't have a revolution in them.

Most people are just surviving- trying to keep
up with their rising bills.
And, more importantly, most do not know
jack about the things we discuss on DU, AND
they DON'T want to.
BHN

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

8. Hugs to you Sistah Mommy. Same thing here. I was just thinking today that not only

there are things emerging everyday, but there are so many, multi layered and how the fuck do you keep up with it all. How many times can I call or write my reps? It's the frigging mole game. I get to the point, as I am at now, of utter frustration and really emotionally exhausted. So right now I'm watching lots of movies and the cooking channel and cutting down on the talking heads.

[BeHereNow]

9. Mom to Mom- I am worried sick about our kids...

Mine is visiting this week and will flat out tell you,
the kids today are scared about their future.
Between the insanity of the GWOT and global warming, they
don't have much hope, so they live in the moment the best they
can.
It's so sad- I can't tell her that it's going to be alright.
It isn't.

BHN

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

10. If it was just me, I wouldn't get so crazy about all of it, but it's for my kids. My oldest

and his girlfriend are even talking about moving to Ireland where she has relatives. The way the UK is going I'm sure Ireland won't be immune. The Democracy I thought we had didn't 't even exist. Republicans and Democrats in Congress are opposames. Appearing to be different but working towards the same goal. The puppet masters are tired of waiting and with bravado are marching us deeper into fascism. I see it all so clearly and I don't know what the fuck to do about it. I always considered myself a good mother, breastfed them until they weaned themselves. Never gave them too much junk food. Read and sang to them. Kissed their boo boos, stayed up nights with their fevers, let them flap and spread their wings, but ever vigilant in protecting them. Etc, etc, etc. And now I can't do shit. Pardon my language but I am just at my wits end.

[BeHereNow]

11. I feel EXACTLY like you do...

Helpless to protect her.
It's a horrible feeling.
BHN

[Golden Raisin]

12. It's very hard and debilitating

to the spirit to see our Republic going down in flames but in a sort of dreamlike (nightmarish) cinematic slow motion. You are definitely not alone.

[shireen]

13. me too .. run out of words to describe it ... nt

[Horse with no Name]

14. Yes. I am on the burn-out fringe of outrage

It's starting to make me weary.

[Eurobabe]

15. I'm not reading or watching much these days

even on DU, nothing changes (re: congress, DC)

So I just concentrate on things that make me feel good: photography, and learning my new language. And hoping that 2008 isn't a bust!!

[BeHereNow]

16. Yes, even on DU, nothing changes.

I remember when we used to get excited
because this or that scandal broke and we were
all certain that "THIS would be the one...!"

Hell, we don't even get excited anymore because
we have watched it year after year without any
consequence to the countless offenders.

It's really depressing at this point.
Sorry to be so negative, but it really looks dark
for our future.

BHN

[Eurobabe]

18. that's why it is important to not be here everyday

or read the news, etc. i am often amazed at how much better i feel, if i skip the net for a few days and do something fun like: go out in nature and take pictures, or ride my bike, play a game with a family member, enjoy the laughter of a child for an hour, read a book, or watch something not related to politics on TV.

as much as i'd like to think i can be a change agent, i have come to the realization that i really cannot change things. there are forces that are driving this engine forward that have little to do with little old me. for as much as things change, they stay the same.

so i am taking a bit of a break. it's good for one's mental health.

[KoKo]

20. Know exactly what you mean... (OOPS...meant to post for OP)

It's losing our hope. Most of us who've been here started out thinking we'd change all this starting in '02 then it was down from there as we squeaked by in '06.

We worked our butts off thinking we could change it all. We didn't have any idea what we were up against. That's what we are realizing. Remember the "Big Dog" sightings? How we were all thrilled after the stolen election when there would be a posting about "Big Dog." Sheesh...how times have changed.

Maybe it's the worst time right now. Repugs world is crashing around them. Those good times of the bubbles are going. The "Smoke and Mirrors" are vanishing.

I don't know if it's compensation that those of us here were ahead of everyone else and that we are more prepared or if it was better not to know. I just know that folks out here on the internet did everything they could. I know that millions of people marched in the streets and signed petitions to the UN to stop the Iraq Invasion and we listened and reported hours and hours of C-Span floor speeches and hearings and all the rest. I know we read Chomsky and Zinn and supported all the Lefty Blogs including this one and made it ALL GROW. I know that we are being "thrown under the bus" by our Democrats who are in power now (although I know there are folks here who don't want to hear that).

Not turning on the TV has helped me. I don't even watch Olbermann or Stewart. I do check in and post things from the Lefty Blogs here...but most folks don't read them because they've read them themselves from the sites or they don't really care about what it is if it takes too long to read.

It's Burn Out....

Hope it helps "BeHearNow" to know that there's company...in sympathy, right now. Maybe this is how bad it had to get for all the rot to be exposed. And, WE ALL helped EXPOSE IT! Maybe it was what we all were called to do...supposed to do... by some higher power. Pin a medal on our chests and just let us have some small victory, though! We have done ALL WE CAN for now and it's time someone else picked up the slack and we get fresh troops. It's not worth making ourselves sick over it.

:hi:

[BeHereNow]

27. "...folks here who don't want to hear that..."

Sort of like watching gangrene set in and saying,
"Na, that's just a little scratch- it'll get better."

Hate to tell them, but it's getting worse.
Thanks for your company...I really need it right now.
BHN:hug:

[NuttyFluffers]

17. do something constructive, switch an incandescent to a CFLB

if done, do it for your neighbor. or your neighbor's neighbor. or your family in the next town. and there's always writing a grant to support a neighborhood park, museum, library, etc. or teach a person how to read. or help someone register to vote. make farmer's market zucchini bread and share it with a loved one low on food. stay home and watch a movie borrowed from the library, starving the economy of your money. send complaint letters to your local representatives. compost and watch your daily propaganda die a slow, but productive, death.

little positive concrete change will make you feel better.

[raccoon]

19. Me too. I was thinking a few days ago about the people who don't

know, or willfully don't want to know, what's going on, and I almost envied them. For a few seconds.

I wouldn't really want to be like that, but I too have suffered outrage fatigue a lot recently.

I've been reading more historical mysteries and watching GILLIGAN'S ISLAND on DVD.

Too much reading of heavy stuff isn't good for anybody, I don't think.

[JuniperLea]

21. AAAAAAAMEN!!!

Time for a "be in", an ever-loving peace, love, beads, flowers, happiness sit in!

Imagine (pardon the pun) people streaming from their houses, their places of worship, their places of work, sitting on the ground and singing "Give Peace a Chance".

It's going to take something en mass to stop the madness!

[Missy Vixen]

25. BHN, I'm with you

Right now, I'm just tired. Tired of it all. I know you know how that feels.

Here are my only suggestions: Have lunch with a friend. Even if you're brown-bagging it in the park and talking about stuff you did when you were in high school, talk about things that make you laugh. Our community just finished their free "concerts in the park" for the summer. I can't tell you how much good it did me to watch other people's little ones dancing to the music. When it's pumpkin time, the husband and I will be off to the pumpkin patch for a little peoplewatching. Spend time with someone you love. Think about the things that make you grateful to be alive. (I realize that last one is some of that Oprah psychobabble, but I feel better when I think about how damn lucky I am.)

It took me a long time to realize it, but the 24x7 hatred was corroding my soul. I have to believe that a higher power will deal with all of them. I have to believe in karma.

I know you believe this, because you hold onto hope, and I will do the same. This, too, shall pass. We have to believe, and we have to take care of ourselves first.

IMHO, YMMV, :hug:
Julie

[BeHereNow]

28. Thanks for the hug! I need it.

I did have lunch with some fellow DUers a week or so ago-
it was really great to meet such good people.
Cui Bono, Shance and Joe for Clark.
We talked ourselves silly and had a great time.
Hopefully, we can do it once a month at least.
That is our plan anyway.
NSMA and Villager are hopefully going to make out next
meet up.
It helps to talk with other like minded people face to face.
There are some great people on DU.
You're one of my faves!
:loveya:
BHN

[BlooInBloo]

26. Bad time to be tired. Iraq is about to have a coup. Be tired later. Pay attention now.

[BeHereNow]

30. And paying attention does what exactly?

I've been paying for ten years.
Nothing changes.
It only gets worse.
BHN

[KoKo]

31. Hey Boo! You are one of those "Fresh Troops" who joined here in '06...

Now you might have been lurking since 2001 so I shouldn't assume you are "fresh" but "BHN" and some others on this post have been in the trenchs battling on these boards (not lurking) for so many years we are just worn out.... We are like those National Guard who just keep having to go back over and over to Iraq and we are :banghead: just damned "f**ing WORN OUT!! And, we are "results oriented" folks or we wouldn't have lasted through this for so long. No RESULTS...NO PEACE! No PEACE OF MIND, either!

[BeHereNow]

34. Good metaphor! National Guard troops. God help them all.

We have been in the trenches for years-
and like those poor people who were deployed
repeatedly, we have had to grapple with the fact
that no help is coming.
We are on our own.

I wish I could offer the fresh DU troops some hope.
But honestly- help is not coming.
We are on our own.

BHN

[BlooInBloo]

35. lol! Ok, ok - take a well-deserved break folks!

[BeHereNow]

36. I've tried many times to take a break...

But confess, as long as our troops and innocent
people are dying, we must not stop trying.
And we musn't look away, we must
document everything.
BHN

[leftchick]

32. sigh... I am with you BHN

this sucks! I am so in overload. I was wondering today about therapy. In addition to the national tragedies I see unfolding I have had health issues with myself and my son to deal with this year. I am burnt out.

[BeHereNow]

33. LOL!!! Sorry, not to laugh at, but with...the therapy card came to my mind too!

I was thinking the very same thing last night when I went to bed.

I think the years have taken a toll on us-
I also think it is completely expected that we feel the
way we do at this point.

We were so excited when the Dems took power
and gradually we began to look closer and came to
the maddening realization-

"HEY, that's the SAME pig with a different shade of
lipstick and a wig!!!!!"

All in all though- despite the damage to our hearts and health-
I would rather be an American who understood what happened,
(Some one has to tell the children)
than not.

I hope you are okay health wise.
:loveya:
BHN

[leftchick]

41. I have chronic back problems

which is tolerable most of the time. My real heartache is for my son. He was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes 7 months ago. That has been hell.

:(

thanks sweetie!

:hug:

[BeHereNow]

43. I'm so sorry... My daughter is an Aspie, so I know how hard it can be as a mom.

There is nothing worse than being unable to "fix the
problem" what ever it is, where our kids are concerned.
You have my support and understanding.
PM me if you ever want to talk.

:hug:
BHN

[shance]

37. I think I have a remedy BHN.

veggie tacos and a margarita (or two or three***)

perhaps not a remedy but can take the edge off some pretty crummy moments.....

;)

[BeHereNow]

38. Hell yes...

My daughter is here visiting now- she is sleeping right now,
out all night with friends in Hollywood...etc, so I am
DUing while I wait for her to wake up.

She leaves Monday, and after that, I'm all yours!
Villager wants to join us this time too- and NSMA.
Maybe we can shoot for next weekend?

BHN

[shance]

39. Sounds good to me!

just keep us posted and we'll gear up for some veggie tacos and margs****

[BeHereNow]

40. Okay then!

I'll call you later after the kid wakes up.
She came in early this morning and has been sleeping
ever since!
BHN:loveya:

[KoKo]

44. But...DAMMIT...you feel so bad in the morning after the marguerita's AND

those veggie taco's can cause as much misery as those "killed animal" ones with all those beans!!!!!

:nuke: is what happens with that combo!

[BeHereNow]

47. Thanks for the laugh KoKo01

DU always makes me feel better...
I guess in some ways, we are like a support
group for victims of the neocon induced
PTSD.

BHN:toast:

[kineneb]

87. or chocolate, lots of chocolate

"Chocolate is a vegetable."
-a decision by my friend and I while in grad school

[Desertrose]

42. FWIW....

I'm about running on empty these days too...but here's a :hug:

Gotta say those margaritas sound mighty tasty.;)

:grouphug:
DR

[BeHereNow]

45. So come to LA and join us.

I'd love to meet ya.
AndI've got to tell you, our little
lunch group is made up of some
of the best DU has to offer-
I've met many DUers over the years,
and these are some of the finest.
BHN

[shance]

53. Come on!

Git yerself out here and come visit!*

[tom_paine]

46. Witness.

:puke:

Now tat I am reading the diaries of Victor Klemperer, I can say for certain that this is exactly how the opponents of Hitler felt in 1937, which is the year we are living in now.

[BeHereNow]

49. My brother and I had that very conversation this morning.

We may be a very small minority- but we see
clearly, as some Germans did, what is happening.
The trauma is in not being able to stop it.

BHN

[rabies1]

50. Oh yeah. I'm going to join yet another march in Washington.

Just so it feels like I'm doing EVERYTHING I can. I get so frustrated listening to this day after day thinking - how can it get any worse? - And yet it does! That's just the present, the future is what really scares me.
Today I was thinking that Bush must not like America at all. How could he when you hear they want to blow the tops off mountains, forget global warming, to be against kids having health care?? I have this vision that the administration will use this country up, to their monetary gain, then move overseas like the big corporations already have. Cheney has all his money in Euro dollars. I don't think they care about this country at all - look what they're doing to the veterans. Tell me one good positive thing they are doing for America now. - Please I dare you...

[KoKo]

51. The BUSHIES are the ENTITLED! Family goes back through Yale and Nazi Germany...

Just because the Chimp looks like a Chimp and acts below the level of the very intelligent Chmpanzee's doesn't mean he's NOT the WOLF in SHEEP'S CLOTHING we were warned about from our early years......

There are always folks cloaked in garb that deceives what THEY ARE REALLY ABOUT!

Bush II has made me want to go back and read GRIMM's FAIRY TALES and the DARKEST LITERATUR that's EVER BEEN WRITTEN! He is the culmination of what ALL CIVILIZATIONS who have WRITERS and HISTORIANS OF WORTH have WARNED ABOUT.

He Looks and Acts so Clueless and Innocent....BUT...it's the folks who PUT HIM ON THE THROWN that ARE THE POWERS!!! IT'S THE FOLKS THAT PUT HIM ON THE THROWN....THE EMPEROR WHO HAS NO CLOTHES!

BUT...IT IS THE FOLKS WE HAVE TO HUNT LIKE the JEWS WHO HUNTED DOWN EVERY NAZI for DECADES TO MAKE THEM ACCOUNTABLE...TO HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE ATTROCITIES! I'm NOT a fan of AIPAC but those WHO COMMIT CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY MUST BE HUNTED DOWN TO THE LAST PERSON!!!! And PINOCHET and the rest of the WORLD'S RAPIST ....MUST BE HUNTED DOWN BY not only US ...but OUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN TO HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE FOR CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY!!!

Sorry for screaming...but it allows me to keep the little sanity that I have left. :blush:

[BeHereNow]

57. Welcome to DU- and no, we can't tell you one good thing.

That's why so many of us are having meltdowns.
It just keeps getting worse and there is NO ONE or thing
on the horizon coming to stop the madness!
Again,
Welcome to our collective despair.
At least you won't be alone here.
BHN

[rabies1]

63. See? BUSH HAS NOT DONE EVEN ONE GOOD THING.

Don't you think it's rather strange for the leader of our country to not like our country?!

[H2O Man]

52. I think that

people owe it to themselves to take breaks and re-charge their batteries from time to time. A few weeks ago, I wrote an essay asking others what things they do to take care of themselves, so that they do not suffer from "burn out."

I do not feel that things are only getting worse .... some things certainly are .... and other things are improving. The grass roots are becoming stronger, more focused, and better prepared to exercise their democratic muscles. When you consider just how bad this administration is, and how weak the congress has been for an extended period, it's a miracle that we are doing as well as we are.

Being strong includes taking time for one's self.

[shance]

55. Good points H2O.

Sounds like an informative thread you created.

Would be great if you posted it here.

[H2O Man]

58. I will try

to find it .... it was titled "The Pond," I think. I'm looking to see if I can find it.

[BeHereNow]

60. Yes, please...that was a beautiful post.

I need some hope right now.
It aint looking good from where I stand.
BHN

[Me.]

61. 'Ponds'

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1405687

[H2O Man]

62. Thank you.

Much appreciated!

[BeHereNow]

69. Bookmarking.

Thank you for finding it.
BHN

[KoKo]

66. It was a beautiful post for peaceful thinking... and you will find it..

and post it...because it will be found.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

90. A day of hiking and photography,..

mmmmm

I need that.

Your sound advice always resonates with wisdom. TY H2O Man.

[spanone]

54. i think this iraqi thingy is about to implode for this administration

the democrats will HAVE to respond to the voters come next month, they will have to challenge this maniac in our white house. the political situation is non-existant and that is the only chance iraq has. i'm gonna keep the faith for the time being and hope the democrats got an earful on their summer breaks. i'm right behing you.

[bdamomma]

95. ................

that is the word "challenge" and apparently no one has challenged *. This is only a little man, and then there are us, I am trying to remain hopeful, but if there is another event I think the American people will revolt, and it would be about time to.

I just hope those Dems are ready to fight when they come back from their "recess" and stop putting us on the back burner.

[tnlefty]

56. Witness here!

It has seemed to me that since these thugs took office it's been one scandal/outrage after another, and before vital info. could be compiled, and protests (even if phone calls/letters) could be organized there would be something else unfolding!

What bugs me more than anything is that the lawbreaking, the callous disregard for the law, the 'we're above the law' attitude, and the secrecy to just keep the cover-ups intact, are becoming so blatant and obvious that even the thinking repukes around me are FINALLY seeing it, but they feel helpless to stop it. Too little, too late from them I suppose, but at least they're angry now and unsure of what they can do that will bring changes.

I live in red-state hell, so you know things have to be really bad for the 'pukes to be grumbling. :hi:

I can't quit trying to expose these rat-bastards, and yes it is tiring, draining and aggravating as hell, but I have 3 offspring who deserve better than this, and besides it's like on the job training for them.

peace!

[porphyrian]

59. Nah, I'm just getting my five hundredth wind. - n/t

[KoKo]

64. "BHN" These TWO Tunes keep me GOING!

One is Nostalgic...Rod Stewart's "When We Were the New Boys" (personifies my years on DU and unfortunately the link I give for You Tube has a bunch of Frat Boy Pics so just turn off the VIDEO and walk out and LISTEN TO THE WORDS of that song...for us GALS who aren't depicted in the Video..but can transfer that this song means "Guys & Gals""

AND

Springsteen's "THE RISING." This is the song that for some reason lately just get's me pumped up and feeling better about what it's all about...that we tried to do.


Caveat:....I don't know your taste in MUSIC so neither of these Tunes might help you understand what I was saying....but, please give a listen... because one is "our past" and "one is our future" to me...
and What the Hell.. on some night you just might want to listen to both even if my posting of the two turns you off muscially....

Anyway...here's my :hug: to you. Those two songs...and apologies if both singers just set your ears afire ...because they are offensive to you. Just hope you will pick out the message that they are sending....or at least, my interpretation of what they are saying. :shrug:
-----------------------------------

Stewart's "When We Were the New Boys"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GbBlK55m28

and Springstein's:

"Come On Up for the Rising." (This one has kept me off meds...don't know why...but it does) BTW: I've turned this up so loud that Hubby (a cool guy) has threatened to leave me if I didn't tune it down. :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVgfoTNLEx4

BTW...if you can't stomach the FRAT BOY VIDEO for Stewart's Song...Here's the lyrics that remind me of us DU'er "Legacy" folks:


---------
WHEN WE WERE THE NEW BOYS
yrics and Music: Stewart, Savigar

With laughing eyes I do recall
Every face that crammed this hall
And in this room our hats were hung
And words were written and songs were sung
And we held our glasses high
And we dared to reach for the sky
And we never would grow old
When we were the new boys

And on these streets we were like kings
We'd roll and tumble, fight and sing
And in these smoky pubs the yarns were spun
And many a sweetheart was lost and won
And on these green fields we played for pride
No quarter given, no compromise
We were lovers and we were sons
When we were the new boys
When we were the new boys

Behind this cellar door on cheap guitars
We played our blues till the early hours
No one listening but a few old friends
We never dreamed it could ever end
This was our moment, this was our space
This was a jewel of a time to have graced
But they're all sweet memories now
When we were the new boys
When we were the new boys

All my life I've been running
down the side of this hill
But way down deep in my heart
don't want the water to ever be still
All these friends have long since gone
Blown and scattered like autumn leaves
Some are lawyers and some are thieves
Some are now behind the sun
But I'll never, never be afraid
From the cradle to the grave
I learned my lesson and I learned it well
When we were the new boys
When we were the new boys

And we held our glasses high
And we dared to reach for the sky
And we never would grow old
When we were the new boys
When we were the new boys

[scarletwoman]

65. The key to physical and psychic survival is: Let go of hope. Hope is a trap, an illusion.

Having hope means that you're not being present in the present. Having hope means that you are investing your energy in a hypothetical future, and thereby not actually dealing with the here and now.

The only way to survive the current trauma with your spirit intact is to ruthlessly root hope out of your life. Once you stop "hoping" for something else to happen, you are in a much better position to assess the current reality and make the necessary accomodations to it in order to survive.

We are truly caught in a situation over which we have no control (no matter how many letters we write to Congress or who we vote for). Therefore, our only recourse is to take control of our own lives; and find energy, purpose and strength in doing so.

As the pseudo-"Hopi Elder" quote says:

You have been telling the people that this is the Eleventh Hour.
Now you must go back and tell the people that this is The Hour.

Here are the things that must be considered:

Where are you living?
What are you doing?
What are your relationships?
Are you in right relation?
Where is your water?
Know our garden.
It is time to speak your Truth.
Create your community.
Be good to each other.
And do not look outside yourself for the leader.

This could be a good time!

There is a river flowing now very fast.
It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid.
They will try to hold on to the shore.
They will feel like they are being torn apart, and they will suffer greatly.

Know the river has its destination.
The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off toward the middle of
the river,
keep our eyes open, and our heads above the water.

See who is there with you and celebrate.

At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally, least of all
ourselves!
For the moment we do, our spiritual growth and journey comes to a halt.

The time of the lonely wolf is over.
Gather yourselves!

Banish the word struggle from your attitude and vocabulary.

All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.

We are the ones we have been waiting for.

It's a bogus quote, but even so, I think it holds a truth. "Where is your water? Know your garden." I think that's all that's left to us now -- getting our gardens in order, and finding joy and satisfaction in doing our own lives well.

Our most important work right now is to hold on to the truth, so we can pass it on. Holding on to the truth is like saving seed corn for the future. We can't plant in the middle of winter, but we can keep and guard our stores of seed for the springtime that will inevitably come -- no matter how long and dark the winter.

I don't expect to live long enough to see the springtime, but I will store seeds nonetheless -- and feel joy in doing so.

sw

[KoKo]

67. Beautiful! "Where is your water? Know your garden".....

It's something to live by......Many thanks for all of us on this thread who are "walking with BHN through her troubles" and carrying them on our own backs.

Thanks for this:


"Where is your water? Know your garden." I think that's all that's left to us now -- getting our gardens in order, and finding joy and satisfaction in doing our own lives well.

[BeHereNow]

68. WHAT DO YOU MEAN? "Don't expect to live long enough to see the springtime?"

Dearest SW, are you ill?
Or are you referring to the global insanity
the neocons are ushering to our door?
I am hoping you are not ill!
Please respond!:hug:
BHN

[scarletwoman]

72. No, no! I'm not ill! All I'm saying is that we've entered a long darkness that may very well last

for many decades. I don't expect that the darkness will lift in my lifetime. I'll be 58 in November; if the darkness lasts 100 years, it will definitely outlast me -- it's simple mathematics.

What I CAN do is what I'm doing -- passing along my devotion to Truth, Justice and Peace to my children, and to anyone else who is receptive. I know that we cannot hold back the darkness, what we CAN do is preserve and protect the embers of Light in our own lives, and pass it on to those who will follow.

sw

[KoKo]

74. Thanks............

And...that even if we don't make it on to the "Promised Land" we hope the "seeds we planted" will outlast us and flourish and give forth new blooms...generation after generation.

Is what you were saying, I think?

Anyway, what you said about this is what I hope will be my own small legacy. "The seeds I planted" when I could have been playing golf or getting botox treatments.

I wanted to leave something REAL and not something that would be gone when I went. That's what I took Your (Scarlet Woman)'s reply to mean.

But..so many DU'ers have health problems we get alarmed when someone posts something that makes us think they will not be long with us...

Thanks for replying that you can hope for more seasons....all help we can have...coping with this is important for our sanity...(the little some of us feel we have left!) :-(

[scarletwoman]

76. I'm so sorry! I never wanted anyone to get worried! I take comfort in the LONG view --

so I don't much worry about my own life, I just think about what I can pass on.

I wanted to leave something REAL and not something that would be gone when I went. That's what I took Your (Scarlet Woman)'s reply to mean.

You took it exactly as I intended. :D

sw

[BeHereNow]

77. Whew! You scared me there for a moment!

Thank you for the clarification...
I get it now and I agree.
:thumbsup: :loveya: :hug:
BHN

[antigop]

70. Sometime ago, I remember reading about a study about what makes people happy

The study found three things:

1) interacting with nature
2) the arts
3) doing something unselfishly for someone else


Michael Moore wrote something on his website not too long ago (sorry, I can't find it) about not losing hope. If we lose hope they have us right where they want us.

[KoKo]

71. That about sums it up for me...and for many Good Hearted Fighters I've

interacted with on DU these long years. When it comes down to it: " Environment, Arts (Song & Theater) and Doing Something Unselfish for Someone Else."

Most of us MIX UP that Order....but one of them is always in play amonst the Serious and Caring DU'ers that I've seen over my years here. :shrug:

Others might have differing opinions...but the posts I look for have those three as where I go.

Also have a "spiritual side" that helps me...and I find some pieces here..and other pieces elsewhere.

[antigop]

73. Oh, KoKo, I didn't mean to imply an order -- just that there were three things

that people found happiness in. And not everyone participates in all three.

[KoKo]

75. No...no...I understood what you said...sorry my post wasn't clear...

I tried to say that we "mix up" the order of what you say with the three always mixing as to the top, middle and last priority. Mixing it up..

Sorry...didn't mean you to think that I though you were doctrinaire in what you said! Never!

Peace!

[Throd]

79. Like this?

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/30624

[BeHereNow]

80. Good one- thanks for the levity.

It helps to have some sense of humor.
What else have we got left?
Certainly not our country, thanks
to the complicit congress.
BHN

[Throd]

83. I laugh so as not to cry

[AlCzervik]

81. I hate how cynical i've become since 2000, not that i was a ray of sunshine prior

to 2000 but it's so much worse now, yes i am really tired.

[BeHereNow]

82. I think the cynicism and depression come from a lack of hope.

Year after year, we have watched outrageous things
happen. We had a "surge," no pun intended, of
hope when the dems took power. Quickly we
realized that we were simply looking at a different
side of the same corporate coin.
Hard not to be cynical when you realize
you live in a one party system that doesn't give
a damn about law and justice or the citizens of this country.
All this time, so many of us truly believed
we had a voice and that there were SOME
elected representatives who represented US.
At this point, I do not believe that at all.

BHN

[davekriss]

86. When I feel that way, I make an effort to remember...

Practically speaking, a life that is vowed to simplicity, appropriate boldness, good humor, gratitude, unstinting work and play, and lots of walking brings us close to the actual existing world and its wholeness.
--- Gary Snyder

If you do follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while waiting for you, and the life you ought to be living is the one you are living. When you can see that, you begin to meet people who are in the field of your bliss, and they open the doors to you.

I say, follow your bliss and don't be afraid, and doors will open where you didn't know they were going to be.

--- Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth with Bill Moyers

If you assume that there's no hope, you guarantee that there will be no hope. If you assume that there is an instinct for freedom, there are opportunities to change things, there's a chance you may contribute to making a better world. That's your choice.
--- Noam Chomsky

Hatred ever kills, love never dies such is the vast difference between the two. What is obtained by love is retained for all time. What is obtained by hatred proves a burden in reality for it increases hatred.
--- Mohandes K Gandhi

The future depends on what we do in the present.
--- Mohandas K Gandhi

You must be the change you want to see in the world.
--- Mohandas K Gandhi

Resist much. Obey little.
--- Walt Whitman

You're not to be so blind with patriotism that you can't face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it or says it.
--- Malcolm X

Cowardice asks the question - is it safe? Expediency asks the question - is it politic?
Vanity asks the question - is it popular? But conscience asks the question - is it right?
And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular; but one must take it because it is right.
---Martin Luther King, Jr.

Now. Or never.
--- Henry David Thoreau

[LibertyorDeath]

88. I know how you feel BHN

but hang in there.

The Tide Will Turn.

This is but a moment in History

and we are all being dragged along for the ride.

Cheers...

[EFerrari]

89. Take care of you.

:hug:

[Jack Sprat]

91. Very much the same.

This Congress needs to be told in no uncertain terms that it needs to withhold funding of this war NOW, and provide only funds for an orderly withdrawal. And that the crimes of illegal wire-tapping and election fraud are to be fully investigated and punished if it so warrants.

[bobthedrummer]

92. Yep-impeachment is off the table for the fascists and mindless followers of the Decider and Dick

:hug:
:grouphug:

[Norrin Radd]

94. Not me. My outrage is righteous, and vigilant like a watch fire.

Though you sound like you need to go get refreshed. But do come back.

[rabies1]

96. My advice is to do small things - bike ride, videos, games etc.

How happy can a person become in this country today? Or How happy in Hell can you be? Just
Don't SHOP. The economic situation is at an emergency level. I do small things, write/sign various letters & petitions to try and make a positive statement. I also hold on by believing there is a light at the end of the tunnel - Bush/Cheney will be out of office. Knowing there's an end to this helps - You can put up with almost anything if you know it's going to end. Until then it makes me feel good is getting out there - trying to do something. I am too nervous, scared, anxious to sit for more than a day. Some way Somehow I have to believe we'll get through this.