Out of Sight...

I had an interesting thought the other day.

What if I decided not to pay attention to the political or social situations in this country?

I remember a piece by the late, great comedian, Bill Hicks in which he talked about the Surgeon General's warnings on cigarette packages. He was a smoker and he said that he picked the warning that best suited him;

"Not suitable for pregnant women."

"Cool!"

So what if I just didn't listen anymore? Would my life really be affected differently?

I get a little crazy when I read about Sarah Palin, the Republicans in Congress and Guantanamo. How can they do this?

I become a little bit unhinged when I read about Wall Street excess and corporate bounses.
The greedy bastards...!

Popular culture infuriates me with its' vapidity and meaninglessness. Charlie Sheen is outraged. I don't give a damn!

So what if I just turned off? No more noise from the Right...or the Left. No more talk of budget deficits and government shutdowns and collective bargaining...or Snookie.

No more Dancing With the Stars or American Idol...or other former, hasbeen, washed up, forgettable B-list wannabees.

Please...Paula Abdul always wished she were Michael Jackson and Steven Tyler has made a career out of aping Mick Jagger, who, in turn, made millions being the white, British Little Richard.

So...basta. Enough already!

What does all of this stuff mean to me anyway? Do I really care if they repeal Roe v. Wade? What if the seniors don't get their Social Security checks? How am I effected by Bernie Madoff's revelations or Natalie Portman's lifestyle?

These things, among endless others, are not a part of my life. They have no bearing on whether or not I'll wake up tomorrow. These things matter to other people, not to me.

But then...Pastor Neimoller reappears and I reevalute my self-centered position.

Then I realize that we are all one, all joined by common ancestry and common purpose.

Everything effects everything and everybody. Chaos Theory. The Butterfly Effect.

John Boehner's tan effects me. Jennifer Aniston's relationship status does too.

Bret Favre. Michelle Obama. Egypt. California. The Mets.

It all matters. I must listen.

I must be moved.

I must act.

...ah...maybe tomorrow.

Today I'm relaxing. I'm taking today off. Today I just don't care.

Hasta manana...!