The Day After

Yesterday I spent reading (Lion's Blood by Steven Barnes), playing guitar, and ignoring the revelry in my front yard. I never really see the point of the Fourth of July, and right now I see it less than ever. So. What are we independent of? Foreign interests? Seems our economy is floated by China, Saudi Arabia, and others. Maybe we are self sufficient now? All grown up and can take care of ourselves? Seems like with most of our actual manufactured goods coming from elsewhere, perhaps we are past that adult zone and into the assisted living facility. We stand up with the aid of our nursemaids and our walkers.

None of this is odd to me, or even 'wrong' in any normal sense. It just seems to me that "The American Empire" was rather short-lived and most people here don't realize that if it ever existed it's gone, sold down the river. I've written a bit on these things before, but it seems a good day to remember.

We live (oddly enough) in a finite space. One little ball. Yet we (by which I mean the first world) live as if we can just dig a little deeper and get more toys. Veins of wii and plasma TV's deep under Iowa, ready for mining. Once the waters recede. It's rarely stated that things are actually NOT golden right now. As more of the creme de la creme (consumer goods, prime real estate, the best and safest food) are produced for the creme de la creme (the haves, the above-middle-class), there is a net loss of actual quality nutrition (education, hope, air, soil, water, trust, life) in the system.

Post this seasons' floods things should be interesting. I woke this morning wondering in what ways am I independent, really, honestly, in the real world. I largely drew a blank.