It’s Been So Long Since We Had a Parade

[Including the lyrics on this one, because they are important.]

Dear brothers and sisters,
Dear enemies and friends,
Why are we all so alone here?
All we need is a little more hope, a little more joy;
All we need is a little more light, a little less weight, a little more freedom.
If we were an army, and if we believed that we were an army,
And we believed that everyone was scared like little lost children in their grown up clothes and poses,
So we ended up alone here floating through long wasted days, or great tribulations.
While everything felt wrong.
Good words, strong words, words that could’ve moved mountains!
Words that no one ever said.
We were all waiting to hear those words and no one ever said them.
And the tactics never hatched,
And the plans were never mapped,
And we all learned not to believe.
And strange lonesome monsters loafed through the hills wondering why…
And it is best to never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever wonder why.
So tangle – oh tangle us up in bright red ribbons!
Let’s have a parade.
It’s been so long since we had a parade, so let’s have a parade!
Let’s invite all our friends
And all our friends’ friends!
Let’s promenade down the boulevards with terrific pride and light in our eyes
Twelve feet tall and staggering
Sick with joy with the angels there and light in our eyes
Brothers and sisters, hope still waits in the wings like a bitter spinster
Impatient, lonely and shivering, waiting to build her glorious fires
It’s because of our plans man; our beautiful ridiculous plans
Let’s launch them like careening jetplanes
Let’s crash all our planes in the river
Let’s build strange and radiant machines at this jericho waiting to fall.
Thee Silver Mt Zion, “Built then Burnt (Hurrah! Hurrah!)”

Living in Interesting Times

Those of you who are inclined to worry have the widest selection in history. Mark Twain

Actually, I’m not sure if Twain really said that — checking on various Twain quote collections, I don’t see it listed. Most references on Google are actually from a bit from Utah Phillips. Regardless, it remains spot on, and relevant for today. Radical extremism all over the world (including the U.S., very much so), riots and wars and revolution in multiple major countries as we speak, oppression insinuating itself in our lives (usually under the guise of being in our best interests, which is also usually wildly untrue). My heart and best wishes go out to those caught in the fighting.

It sort of puts in perspective the sort of worrying I have — do I stick with the job I’m in, or do I look for other work (which has a very high likelihood of meaning moving elsewhere), or do I go to grad school this fall (nigh certainty of moving elsewhere), and what does that mean for me personally, as well as those I’m close to (a number of friends here, as well as my brother and Jessica). Life will go on, and I’m fairly sure it wouldn’t be the end of the world for anyone, but it’s still concerning. It’d be a lot easier if there was a clear “correct” choice. But there isn’t. They all have benefits, they all have drawbacks. And I’m not really getting any sort of direction or draw from any source.