RICHARDSON: Twilight
2. A period or state of obscurity, ambiguity or gradual decline.
Of course, I like definition No. 1 better than definition No. 2, but I believe the period of life I'm in now fits better with No. 2.
This ambiguous period has been brought on by several events. Here it is the middle of March when I should be all hyped about the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Instead, I'm repeatedly saddened as older and some younger friends and acquaintances leave this earth. In this young year I've already attended five homegoing services and one memorial. More are probably on the way.
I understand this is just the cycle of life. I'm done with the stage when you're busy going to weddings, marrying off children and the like. That's for the younger set now. Striving for a higher position and making my way in the world? Been there, done that. It's now time to reach the crest of the mountain, see what's on the other side and figure what to do with the remaining years. From what friends tell me, these coming years are rich with experiences. I have a great advantage. I hang out with folks who have been around the block a few more times than me. They've given a pretty clear picture of what life can be as I age.
My older brother, who is 75, is still full of life. We have good genes, and if we can stay healthy, who knows? We could be around until we reach triple digits. However, there is one aspect that is depressing, and that's the people we have to say goodbye to. We honor them by our presence at their funerals. We recognize their full lives, the knowledge they leave behind and the warm memories that remain with us.
I know I'm treading into an area best left to Dr. Bill Cummings, but death makes no logical sense. We spend 60, 70, 80, 90-plus years acquiring knowledge — getting real good at something — and then we disappear.
Going to funerals is not the only thing that has me philosophical. Watching and reading and listening to our collective political insanity makes me want to go jump off a cliff. I understand people are angry — and it's our own fault. We have allowed blowhards to feed hate into our heads in steady streams of vitriol. We have allowed lies to replace truth. We have allowed our facts to displace real facts, because we don't take the time to differentiate between the two. Instead of vigorous debate, we resort to amateur name calling and anonymous commenting about stuff we don't have a clue about.
We want quick, easy answers to the country's and the world's complex problems, and if we can't fit the answer into a 10-second sound bite, our attention spans zoom out to the next episode of the Kardashians. Is it any wonder someone like Donald Trump could snatch the microphone and camera and make true believers out of airheads? We have turned into a nation of airheads who lack substance.
When I first read George Orwell's "1984" back in high school, I thought there wasn't a chance "Big Brother" could happen in this country. My idyllic, youthful naivete has since been squashed. Could there be an "Outer Party" and an "Inner Party"? Could there be a "Ministry of Truth"? Are we experiencing a type of "Doublethink," as Orwell wrote, an ability to have two opposing viewpoints and believe in both of them? Aren't we going through a political campaign for the highest office in the nation filled with "Doublethink"?
There is always hope, and that hope doesn't sit on the Republican or Democratic side of the fence. It doesn't live in a red or blue state and really doesn't care what goes on inside the Washington, D.C., Beltway. Whenever any of this starts to get me down, I just remember who is in control, and I look to the hills from where my help will come. I take a chill pill, relax and continue watching the circus. I already know what kind of third party I've got my trust in. So, no worries. Be happy.
Charles E. Richardson is The Telegraph's editorial page editor. He can be reached at 478-744-4342 or via email at crichardson@macon.com. Tweet@crichard1020.
This story was originally published March 19, 2016 at 6:21 PM with the headline "RICHARDSON: Twilight ."