This Is How We Roll

One night, while driving down a side street lined with tidy lawns and comfortable homes, we saw a ferocious animal race into the street and chase the car in front of us. This scene might sound normal except the ferocious animal that chased the car was a cat. I’m not sure what caused the confrontation, but the car kept going and the attacker retreated to its lair. For whatever reason, a little, white kitty decided to harass a passing car. Animals don’t always do what we expect. Take a look:

                                          http://youtu.be/y__iU-TgHCY

We couldn’t see who drove the car that the cat chased. If it was anything like the driver in the video, then it all makes sense. Some animals can perform or appear to perform amazing feats, while other animals astonish us simply by acting on instinct. Our cat will chase a tossed ball like a dog, but she won’t retrieve it. We trained her to run to us for a treat when we ring a bell, and she understands what it means when we say no. But what about you? What do you do that might be considered normal by some people, yet abnormal by others?   

           

The New Normal

It’s interesting how the things that used to make sense now seem to make no sense.  Judging by news reports, I think it must be opposite day and abnormal is the new normal. Take the seismic activity for instance, have we always had this many earthquakes in a two year time span? Somebody must be tracking these events. Weather-wise our hurricanes seem stronger and we’ve talked enough about the extraordinary thunderstorms. I just got caught in another crazy one yesterday. And as we discussed in an earlier post, even the Catatumbo Lightning is a-changing.  What is going on?

Here’s something else outside the norm: the number of abandoned retail establishments. Borders? Closed. The Petco in our area? Closing. Jonn’s furniture stores? On it’s way out. Say it ain’t so, Joe! I frequented these businesses, and their closures are turning my world topsy-turvy. How many vacant building will there be? Take Borders, for example, people have spent Saturday nights there browsing bookshelves with a mocha latte something. I bet some people even slept there, treating the store like a second home. Economists suggest that there’s a rational explanation for these closings, in the spirit of the 1992 presidential election, “It’s the economy, stupid.” OK I’ll buy that, but I’m not stupid, something else is going happening.

I think our culture is changing in unprecedented ways and I’m experiencing culture shock! Things that used to be the norm are no longer normal.  I find myself constantly looking around and wondering, “What in the world is going on?” I believe that’s just what these gentlemen are thinking in this video:

Change is inevitable; culture will continue to change whether we like it or not. The key is how we handle it. We can laugh at the absurd, be angry at the injustice and promise to make a difference.  What’s the long-term prognosis for our world? From your perspective, over the next twenty years, will things improve or deteriorate? Why?