Indifference

Apathy and disillusionment

    “Seriously? You're not going to come over today?” A cascade of vulgarity intermingled with static poured from the speaker of his phone. He grimaced as he pulled it away from his ear. Without replying, he hung up and set the device on silent. “Christ, all I wanted was an answer, not to lose my hearing.”

    “I don't blame her. A psycho's in charge now. There's a lot to worry about now. Dark days are coming.”

    “Oh boy.” He let out a long sigh and turned to his other friend who had had his face buried in his phone.

    “What the hell do you mean by that?”

     And here we go.

    “Just as I said. You can't honestly be defending that psycho, are you?”

    “More than the previous one, who you guys act like was perfect and could do no wrong.”

    “Probably the best we've ever had, since we now have the last one in to destroy us all.”

    “Best? Try the absolute worst. It'll take a miracle to climb out of this hole.”

    “Which started out a whole lot deeper when he took over. If it wasn't for him, we'd be in an even worse position now.”

    “Amazing. Everything good only happened when he's involved. Everything bad, well, someone else is to blame. Typical.”

    “And everything bad was his fault and all the good done by others? Typical.”

    “Can we change the subject?”

    “No!”

    “We're not finished.”

    “Fine, I'm going for a walk.”

    “Then, we'll come with you.”

    “No, I'm going out by myself. I don't need to hear anymore of you two's pissing and moaning. It's ridiculous.” With that, he left the room, slamming the door behind him. Angrily, he slipped on his shoes and threw on his winter coat. He bolted out the door in hopes of avoiding being dragged back into the argument.

    It was overcast, like hammered metal sheets stretched across the sky. It better not rain. He glanced up and down the street before crossing with the singular goal of distancing himself from his friends and their bickering. Keeping his pace brisk, he turned left, then right, then right again before simply moving straight ahead. After a few minutes, he slowed down to a stop and checked the street name. Recognizing the name, he pulled his phone from his pocket and impatiently dug into the others. Frantically, he searched, but eventually gave up, realizing he left his headphones at home.

    “S**t. Looks like I get to roll around in my head for a bit.” He peeked at his phone and noticed one of his friends was calling him. He ignored it and slipped his phone back into his front jacket pocket. He settled on continuing the direction he was facing and beckoned for the sounds of his footsteps and the city to accompany him on his walk.

    It's not so bad out. Well, I guess global warming is good for something...until the melting ice caps slow the waters and possibly freeze us all to death, which wouldn't be a bad thing at this point. I bet the planet would enjoy the quiet. I know I would.

The dumbasses. A bunch of craziness on both sides and no outlook for anything other than horrible or great. Nothing in between. We're all a part of the problem in different ways, but never want to admit it. Just shuffle the blame to the other side.

It's stupid. A bunch of damn idiots clamoring for any speck, any inch of alleged moral high ground only to dig those same morals and principles a six-foot grave the moment ANY sort of event pops up that doesn't support their narrative. All I've heard is bitching or bitching about bitching and lots of both. No context or there are flimsy dots lined together to claim a stronger truth, whatever the hell that means. A fact support by nuanced tweaking is like building a home with a twisted support post. Find the faults and it will fall, but somehow, the reasoning stays.

    This place is mad, too emotional to be anything but spiteful. When it is not bellowing righteous platitudes, it is nipping at its own heels, unaware of what it's doing. Maybe, it is better to strive to be Diogenes than Alexander. It is disheartening to think that again and again. Being great and being honest are two entirely different goals and those paths may never cross, but nope, everyone thinks they're the hero saving everyone else, because they KNOW the truths no one else can see.

     Stopping at an intersection, he waiting for a car to pass by before crossing. Once on the other side, he sneezed and began rubbing his nose. Damn, it's colder than I thought. For a moment, the idea of heading back colored his thoughts. Then, as quickly as it came, disdain followed.

     No point. They don't care. They think they have all the answers already and now, only want to hear themselves spout it out loud, so they can feel like what they know is the truth. No point in trying to talk with people who won't listen and speak in equal measures. All they care about is bringing others to heel to their line of reasoning and thinking. All they want is power.

     Grunting to voice his displeasure, he continued aimlessly. The asperity of the country's divide and the groups it created had rendered him apathetic, unwilling to care anymore. Let the wolves tear themselves apart, so their querulous howling can be made a lesson for future hearts and minds to know.

Reviews

[Honestly]

Man, thank you for introducing me to Diogenes and the idea of asperity... This is one relatable view the narrator presents. Truly a point in time when both sides are filthy, yet claim to be clean.