In this world of lost appreciation of written expression, I have surfaced with a new and exciting form of written expression.  It is virtually impossible to avoid this new world of today, with its social media shortcuts.  Now a day, everything appears to be abbreviated. We abbreviate our thoughts, our ideas, and, most definitely, our articulation.

“A picture is worth a thousand words,” this phrase has spiraled out of control. We have become a society. Of pictures only, no one wants to take time to write anymore.  In this new electronic society, a signature has been replaced with a cell phone, thumbprints, or passwords.  Schools have even done away with penmanship classes and cursive writing.  Yet we are told daily how far we’ve come and how progressive the world is today.

Today we honor the inclusion of everyone with little regard for the fundamentals of life.  We profess to make everyone feel good, but our actions say, “Who Cares a shit if they don’t”. Society’s mental and emotional states are constantly declining, while we keep telling everyone we accept you for who you are. Another way of doing nothing. The final diagnosis of today is that we sound good and look good but still do no good.

We have done away with parental and societal expectations and requirements and replaced them with unconditional inclusion. Could this be why our kids stay home longer (Forever), failure to launch is no longer just a cliché it’s a new reality., Or is it symptomatic of something else? When humans have nothing to strive for, we reach complacency soon and live in that state longer. Is not, doing and learning and failing important aspects of human growth? Is this not the backbone of a functioning and productive society of inclusion?

One of the most interesting questions asked of me when I was I child is, ” What do you want to be when you grow up?’ When I was a young, smart ass, I answered, “Grown.” At 60 years of age, I don’t get asked that question much anymore, but it crosses my mind more than it did when I was younger. You see younger “Me” believed he had time, while the mature, “Me” knows time is the enemy. The truth is that I am better equipped today to answer that ominous.  But I take solace in knowing my answer today is, “Grown.” I guess I am still a smart Ass.