Teenage Angst vs. Adult Indifference

When I was in my mid-teens news headlines were dominated by the nuclear arms race and who (i.e. USA or USSR) was more likely to "press the red button" and initiate a third world war. I did not take those news well and it really was the stuff of my worries and nightmares. Films like "the Day After" that were screened at school did not help, either and I developed a deep dislike for the evening news on primetime TV. Only doom-scrolling in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic came close to this feeling of being overwhelmed by bad news. 

These days, however, when election results could not be any bleaker both globally and locally, and the protagonists in the USA and Russia objectively pose much more danger than their predecessors in power in the 1980s ever did, I am comparatively chill. I'm not even sure why this is exactly. It definitely is not because I have a crystal ball that allows me a glimpse into a 100% rainbows and unicorns future. It might be because I am happy and content otherwise, it might be because decades of experience have made me more than a little fatalistic and jaded, or because there still is a glimmer of hope that these 70+years old me might not be in this position forever...like, not even until the end of their respective terms of office.

Autumn Blues

 

Autum seems to be everyone's favourite season. It definitely is not mine and I am reminded why every time we switch back to "normal" time. If it were for me, I'd vote for daylight saving time all year round. Those endless summer days are my absolute favourite and I find it super depressing to wake up when it is still pitch black outside and to finish work when it's dark again. I'm like a plant that needs light for growth and energy. Sure, colourful foliage is a pretty sight, but the shorter days (minus snow and everything I love about winter) are really not my vibe.