The Winding Down Effect

Wind down (from the Merriam-Webster dictionary)

 verb

Definition of wind down

intransitive verb

1: to draw gradually toward an end the party was winding down

2: RELAX, UNWIND - wind down with a good book

transitive verb

: to cause a gradual lessening of usually with the intention of bringing to an end.

________

It's like a drawing in.  A slowing down. A cocooning. Less socializing. Less interest in what's going on outside one's own surroundings and it's happening not just on a personal level but a collective one as well. I've noticed it and so have the few people that I still interact with on a somewhat regular basis.

What's the cause? Mainly high speed internet that can easily be accessed via smart phones,tablets,Google Home,Amazon Echo,and of course computers. I wrote about this in my last posting but social changes has increased significantly since then and that was just a few years ago. It's become quite noticeable in my own current demographic domain. The Hispanic population has grown by leaps and bounds and it's now common to hear Spanish spoken on a regular basis. In addition to that blight now claims the bulk of the towns in my area. It's not that I didn't see the handwriting on the wall it's just now it's so apparent.

Change has always been in the air but it's become too hard to ignore. On a personal level - I've lost loved ones - one that I was in regular contact with and one that I wasn't. I'm talking about my dad that past away this past May and my grandmother that passed away in late August. It's sad. Not just because they were family and I knew them on a personal level but because they were born and grew up in more intact societies. Their numbers are quickly dwindling. It's bizarre because the man I most admired growing up is no longer here and my grandmother who was the embodiment of  what it means to be a real lady (very nurturing and thought of others before herself) is now gone. While that's just how it goes and part of the cycle of life it still doesn't mean there's not an empty space in your life whenever they're gone.

"Love is like a flower, even the most beautiful kind dies." - Till Lindemann

Just observing one's surroundings and it's quite apparent that things are coming to a close and what's in store for me individually and for society at large is anyone's guess but it looks pretty bleak. When you turn on the radio what little new "music" playing is utterly atrocious - lacking any real forethought or talent. This isn't just me getting older either. It's definitely digressed and I've noticed the same in fashion or rather - the lack of it. Not sure if these are signs of a social collapse or something much worse - leading to a stone age or the opposite - a technocracy. It's depressing if you think about it too much but I'm not one to stick my head in the sand and pretend everything is okay.

So while I'm not backtracking on my disdain for the positive thinking movement and trying to convince myself that everything is hunky dory I just can't dwell on the negativity. It's too much. When things weren't this degraded both socially and economically it was easier to ponder the likely gloom and doom of it all but as we draw nearer to that probability the overwhelming realization that that's our possible fate is a bit much for me to stomach. 😕 This used to be a wonderful country as did most other countries but decades of social engineering, diversity, and fiat currency has changed that. It might be deemed offensive for some to accept but it doesn't make it untrue.

So to bring this posting to a close - my aim is to focus on more upbeat topics as much as possible as well as my adventures in this game called life. 😉