In 1963, I was a junior at Robert E. Lee; back from Europe
for three years. In 1973, I was a Viet
Nam veteran, back from the war three years. In 1983, I was a claims adjuster
with a drinking problem, three years after the first marriage. In 1993, I was a claims supervisor, three
years after Hurricane Hugo and six years sober.
In 2003, I was at the City of San Antonio, three years away from
retiring to go chase Katrina and other storms. Today, 2013, I am gathering up
my life after three years I would rather forget.
But things are as different now as they were through the
foregoing five decades of life on Earth.
I have my friends; in the Fellowship, in the Arts, in the Media and in
mobile home parks all over America. My
private relationship is with my 8 pets—far more serene and manageable than any
one human, I can tell you!
And I have my friends on Facebook; the global village than
Marshal McLuhan envisioned so long ago…before PC’s and the World Wide Web. You are such a diverse collection of Humans! Some of you I know very well on the ground,
some of you are recent acquaintances and some of you I know only through this
window to the planet at large.
Some of you are just out and out lunatics (Oh! Throwing
stones in glass houses again!); some of you are too sane for your own
good. You can figure out for yourselves
which is which (Do NOT succumb to denial on this point!).
Social networking is changing us all; indeed, it is changing
the world. It is better than Star Trek’s
talking computer; we are instantly informed and aware of each other and we are
all reaching out of our small private boxes to find information and ideas to
bring back to the village square…to share with our friends.
I have had a Facebook account for four or five years, in
that time it has grown from an amusing dalliance to plugged-into-my-cortex
vital.
In the guise of entertaining ourselves, we have grown
together, as a family grows together. We
learn, delight and grieve at the fortunes and follies of each other.
We need each other.
Let 2014 come on!
Bring it! The fiscal cliff is no
more daunting than the Suez Canal Crisis of 1956. And who, but a few history buffs among us,
remember that calamity?
I have high hopes for the New Year. I have high hopes for all of you out there in
my fabulous Ether-ether Land! Happy New
Year and God bless us…everyone!
