Spoiled?

Last night I was speaking with some people
about how spoiled our current modern
culture is in this country.

Many take (what we think are) the simplest
of things for granted.

There was a time not too long ago that
traveling across the United States would
have been unfathomable for many. And,
for those who would have done it, it would
have been arduous and dangerous, with
even a question of survivability.

Last night at 10 PM local time I was in the
Baltimore area, at the moment I am in flight,
and within less than 24 hours I will have
gotten home and gotten settled.

The "funny" thing about the things we take
for granted is that within the convenience
that we have come to expect, the slightest
inconvenience can piss people off.

I had gone to Baltimore a couple of years
ago, and I had to change plans in Columbus,
OH. Unfortunately, while the weather was
OK locally, there were some terrible storms
on the east coast.

There was a considerable question as to
whether or not we were going to make it
out of the airport that night. While it
would have sucked to be stuck, it was
preferable in my world for them to err
on the side of caution. I wanted to get
to my destination, and even if it was
going to be later than expected, I would
still get there.

Now, mind you, I wasn't going for anything
in particular, and wasn't missing anything
by being delayed other than time spent
with my friend. Actually, LOL, I was missing
something - the storm. Given that there are
rarely storms in Southern California, I was
kinda bummed that I couldn't experience
that one…but that's not quite the same as
a meeting, a wedding, anything scheduled
that can't be moved.

If I was missing something it would have
been a different story, but at the same time
I am attempting to have a more Zen approach
to life these days. I am looking at things as
the things that are perhaps meant to happen
instead. Hard to know why that would be
the case sometimes, but the attitude certainly
helps when things that are out of your
conscious control happen. At those times,
all we really have that can "save" us is our
attitude.

So, I have strayed off the topic some, and
yet, as always, things are connected. If
we are "spoiled" by our culture, a related
attitude results, and that attitude will bring
us our experience of life and will give us
the framework in which to react to the things
that do and don't happen as we would want
and expect.

I'd say one of the keys to life is to learn what
is important and to do everything we can for
those things realizing that there is only so
much that we can do.

In that way we can "enjoy" being spoiled,
and not be wrecked when something prevents
us from the desired outcome.

A few more hours, and I'll be home with
indoor plumbing, electricity, a refrigerator,
food, the ability to control the temperature
of my environment…and able to post these
thoughts composed while in a contraption
that has flown through the air through a
means unavailable only a short 25 years ago.

It IS a special world that we live in.

(PS As I was writing this entry, I was heading
home a couple of days ago and I was listening
to BU2B by Rush, have you heard it?)