Escaping

At this time the political and economic climate of our country is depressing. Posturing politicians screaming for sound bites seem to be the rage. I find watching the news particularly irritating. The anchors are timid, the politicos are self serving, the so called mavens are anything but. I see and hear the same faces on TV, depending on the program being watched. From Lehrer's News Hour to Hardball to Bill O'Reilly (has there ever been a more arrogant smug obnoxious individual?) I get the same thing repeated over and over again. What it all adds up to is that I want to escape. I want to go back to a world where civility ruled. I want to go back to when the United
States was looked  upon as a shining example of democracy. Of course, we've always had our rapacious politicians and greedy Walltstreeters. We've had Joe McCarthy and the witch hunts in DC. But we've also had our finest moments.Those moments made me proud to call myself an American. When I travelled in Europe after II, it was more than satisfying to be greeted with enthusiasm when someone learned I was American.
So where does that leave me now?
I yearn to escape. And I try my best by turning off the news. I read more. I listen to music instead of talk radio. I watch sports and movies on TV instead of the news. For a while it actually helps. Unfortunately, it is not a lasting fix. Reality has a way of forcing itself upon you and all you can do is adjust to it as best you can.