It’s been quite a shock at my age to discover that the values I’ve lived by all these years are wrong. I grew up in the fifties and sixties. We didn’t have personal computers or smart phones to guide us so we lived according to the popular maxims of the day. For example, the 3 R’s (reading, ‘riting and ‘rithmetic ). We were told to study hard and get a good education. I still remember the Boy Scout pledge: “A Boy Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.” I thought these were good values to live by at the time.
I worked at the local grocery store. The motto by the checkout stand was “Courtesy is our Policy.” Decency and civility were expected. It was wrong to make fun of those less fortunate. Our technological wonders were the radio and the television. Paul Harvey gave us “the rest of the story.” Ronald Reagan told us “at General Electric progress is our most important product.” Listening on Saturday mornings to Big John and Sparky on the radio I heard the story of The Man Without A Country. I was told these were good lessons to learn.
I was a voracious reader (those 3 R’s). I devoured books like Brave New World and Animal Farm and Lord of the Flies where I learned important ideas about tyranny, oppression, and false utopias.
In college I was taught the scientific method, the common biases associated with philosophical reasoning and the practical benefits of a liberal arts education all of which were supposed to make me a better human being.
Alas, it was all a delusion, a dangerous elixir of Liberal Cool Aid, a handicap in the game of life. I see now that I’ve failed to reach my full potential. At my current age there’s not much time to set things right so I must make haste in spite of the popular warning against it. Henceforth I vow to believe outrageous conspiracy theories, improbable alternative facts and the findings of pseudo science. Going forward I promise to choose faith-based decisions over science or reason. I will join the fraudsters, cheaters, liars, rationalizers, enablers, sycophants, bullies, racists, xenophobes, misogynists and sexual predators to gain any advantage I can over the fools who follow the nonsense in the Sermon on the Mount.
Goodness, I feel so much better already. I’ve broken the mold. I’ve given the finger to tradition. I’ve questioned authority and found true wisdom in selfishness and self love. For every action there is a reaction. Wealth and power and happiness are guaranteed to follow.
“What’s that you say? What goes around comes around? Bullocks! Time to fight fight fight or I won’t have a life anymore. Woe to the Karens and the Snowflakes and the Woke Folk. The vile shall inherit the earth. Go big, go bold, go all in for yourself.