We were never that young...

I have been writing journals of various types for many years.  The format has changed, the message varied.  In the end, I simply wish to expound ideas.  I have never considered myself skilled in the art.  As I generally think in abstracts, my writing follows suit.  At many times, I have chosen to analyze a situation and comment not about the particulars, but about the underlying principles.  The end result was probably quite transparent to those around me but not necessarily to a complete stranger.

We develop ideas over time regarding past events.  In our ancestral past, these ideas become fact as stories were re-told again and again.  However, civilization brought record keeping.  Old tales were still told, but in many cases an archive could be searched for verification.  As a result, less knowledge was lost.  It became possible to avoid the effects that time has on perception.  A printed page will not tell a different story next month.  A photograph may age, but its subject will not.

Whereas I have beliefs regarding the effects of time on me, I can easily consult snapshots from the past and be reconnected with fact.

I have recently been reminded that the boy my mind's eye recalls never existed. A similar creature walked the earth, but his strength and wisdom have been exaggerated over time.  The gifts of youth do not fade as quickly as our youth-obsessed society puts forth.

So here is to all the 19-year-old super humans who could choose any dance partner they wanted, had 1% body fat, had the constitution of 10 grown men, and had achieved a level of peace and serenity that would make the gods envious.  I will miss you.  The photograph has replaced you with someone else entirely.  You were not fearless.  You were not perfect.  You knew little.  You were not a finished product.  You were a work in progress.  The things that negatively effect you now always have.  Otherwise, the cliche "Freshman 15" would not be possible.

As I've said many times, life begins at 30.  The children that we were simply did not know their limits.  That doesn't mean that they didn't have them.  I may have forgotten that.

Political translation

I was about to preface this blog post with words like "unpopular" and "view as".  In truth, I have the great benefit of living in the United States.  I do not have to preface anything.  Others in much of the world are free to read it, comment on it, be angered, be bored, be disinterested.  This is the beauty of freedom.

Communication (and perception in general) is subject to interpretation.  We all interpret things differently.  I felt it was only fair to give others a glance into my own interpretations.

Someone says: "I'm not racist but..."
I hear: "I'm about to make a racist comment.  I'm trying to apologize for it.  I am actually a racist, but I'm apologetic.  Deep down I know that doesn't make it better."

Someone says: "Big Government"
I hear: "I have no problem with fascism."

Someone says: "welfare reform"
I hear: "I am about 15 years behind the times.  The program I am mentioning no longer exists, but if it did, I would let them all starve."

Someone says: "welfare state"
I hear: "I am about 15 years behind the times.  The program I am mentioning no longer exists, but if it did, I would let them all starve."

Someone says: "You should need to take a drug test before..."
I hear: "Let them all starve."

Someone says: "Tea Party"
I hear: "The criminally insane"

Someone says "DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act)"
I hear: "Legislated hate"

Someone says: "Conservative"
I hear: "An individual who has no problem with fascism."

Someone says: "Partial Birth Abortion"
I hear: "I have no knowledge regarding actual medical procedures.  I listen to whatever hatemongers are spewing at the moment."

Someone says: "The breakdown of the American family"
I hear: "I listen to whatever hatemongers are spewing at the moment."

Someone says: "Family Values"
I hear: "I listen to whatever hatemongers are spewing at the moment."

Someone says: "Protect Intellectual Property"
I hear: "Several ridiculously large organizations have paid me a great deal of money."

Someone says: "Internet Piracy"
I hear: "I'm looking for some lame excuse, but in the end I have no problem with fascism".

Someone says: "ObamaCare"
I hear: "Let them all die of easily treatable diseases."

Someone says: "Super PAC"
I hear: "The first step to fascism"

Someone says: "This is a Christian country"
I hear: "I have no idea where I live and am completely unfamiliar with the history of my own country."

Someone says: "Waste your vote"
I hear: "I have no problem with fascism."

Someone says: "I don't vote"
I hear: "I have no problem with fascism."

Someone says: "A simpler time"
I hear: "The McCarthy Era"

I do realize that my remarks may seem harsh.  However, pretending to ignore the repercussions of certain policies is inhuman.  Pretending that lowering taxes will only reduce the bureaucracy and waste (which I fully admit is a matter of concern) is to walk through life with blinders on.  Pretending that large corporations will "reinvest" more money if their taxes are reduced is to claim you live in a world without greed.  Pretending that not voting has any effect other than allowing the votes of extremists to carry more weight is denying that 0 is not equal to 1.  Pretending that "Family Values" is anything but a euphemism for "enforcing my limited world view on others" is to deny most of modern history.  Idolizing the 1950's is to idolize nuclear proliferation, witch hunts, segregation, dumping of toxic chemicals without any knowledge of their long-term effects, and the treating of women as a permanent underclass.

There are sides.  The game cannot be avoided, it is the price of citizenship in the Untied States.  If you do not choose a side, you lose.

I now walk away from the soapbox.  It was never that effective a communication tool anyway.

Traveling... again...

I've always loved trains.  My most enjoyable commutes have been via train.  We ran rails over a good portion of this country.  But the East Coast is their origin.  Here we laid rail for over 100 years.  We laid intracity rail and intercity rail.   Although passenger service only operated on a small fraction of the lines, one can still travel by rail to nearly every city on the East Coast.

Although other mass transit exists, the very scope of rail travel is amazing.  A train carrying hundreds can be operated by 10 people.  In some small scale cases their operation has been automated.  One can travel from Philadelphia to Baltimore in less than 2 hours via rail.  In many cases, rail travel is faster than personal vehicle.

I have spent my whole life near rails.  I commuted across the city of Philadelphia to go to school... To go to work... One can traverse much of Philadelphia underground.

Mass transit allows one to read, to type... As one is still on the ground, terrestrial communication networks are still available when traveling via rail.   One can travel via rail without having their rights violated.

The other differences between rail travel and other modes are learned via experience.  Suffised to say, when traveling by rail one often arrives refreshed rather than worn out.  The rails might not run everywhere, and a cross-country trip becomes more of an expedition via rail than many would like, but when available, the rails make for an amazing trip.