I am finally getting used to the reduction in election-related emails, tweets, and FB postings. The idea of a recount or, worse, a hacking conspiracy involving Russia and rigging of the US election would mean chaos and uncertainty for the world.
I am Israel at present and the arson that led to fires in and around Haifa, Jerusalem, and elsewhere is another example of things that are beyond our control. Arson happens all the time. Sometimes, it is effective. We see that now. We saw that during the fire bombing of Dresden by the Allies during WWII. The results of success: huge financial, emotional, and human loss. How and when this happens is incredibly uncertain. Nature is too big to fight. Effective bad guys act as a catalyst to make nature fight on their behalf. Whatever happens, no one is in control.
The above examples are things that spring to mind as I contemplate how little we control in our lives. So much is unknown and unknowable. To survive, we need to find a way to let go of our desire to control our environment, others, even ourselves. This realisation came to me a couple of years ago and was the inspiration for my book, Revelation. It is all about living in the present. That being said, I am as guilty as anyone else when it comes to slipping into the past or future.
If you have been reading my blogs, you'll know that I started this as a way to document my learning curve of social media. My motivation behind engaging with social media was my desire to sell books and become visible online. Today, I have come full circle. I am not convinced that anyone buys a book or likes something simply because they are inundated with your images. I appreciate that conventional marketing confirms that we need to see something quite a few times (20? 30? 50?) before we actually notice it. Online, this is merely noise and it may need to be a much higher number--possibly 100 times plus.
Combine that with the fact that I am reaching the age where people may look at me as a curmudgeon. I prefer a quiet afternoon under my Mulberry tree with a scotch, cigar, and the Economist to many things. Online, it is very helpful if you are young, perky, and informative. I am the opposite. I am middle-aged, not perky, and looking for information. I try to share what little I have learned. I thought it would be interesting but most twelve-year-old kids already know what I am discovering. (I never thought I'd be one of those people who said things like that...)
BUT, if we go back to square one--things are unknown and unknowable--then there is still a chance for me. (Yes, I remain an optimist.) I am working on a great Young Adult manuscript that I hope to market to schools and libraries in Canada and the US. I believe that I bring to the table something the young, perky people don't--I have lived life a bit longer than them. I also know that most of these internet-savvy folks are very intelligent (despite hiding it in an attempt to look cool). Finally, I know that the audience and readers are very intelligent. It is an old refrain to say that things are being 'dumbed down'. In the age of online readership, I am happy to target the remaining people who want to be challenged and who are interested in impacting the world around them.
Tomorrow is promised to no-one. It is unknown and unknowable. For me, that gives me hope.
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