Good Times, Bad Times

We live in good times (by most historical standards) Yet more accurately these are the best of times, and the worst of times, as not only is there everything imaginable happening, but every up must have a down. But in good times, with a good times mentality we think there shouldn’t be any down side, and if it comes then it must be something we’re doing wrong, or aren’t doing right enough, and when it comes, it becomes intolerable as we sink into despair or scramble for our bag of tricks. Bags of tricks are good, to ease the strain and make it through another day, but they aren’t meant to erase the down time as much as give us the strength, the breather the resilience to face it all with patience and equanimity. Down sides after all are just the other side of up, the other half of a whole, and to expect to have one without the other is childishly foolish in the extreme. Good times create soft people who then create hard times which in turn creates hard people who then create good times… round and round, on and on up and down without end. (2/2/24)