What matters

Thanks, guys.

It's a weird world. One hardly knows what to do or say in it. So the things to say or do are the things that make you or those close to you happy, without hurting anyone. As far as I can tell, nothing we do really matters, except on the small interpersonal scale.

And that's the lesson. It's all there is. Why do bad things happen to good people? Because they do. Good things happen to good people, too. There's no "explanation" for it. No big meaning. No plan. It just is what it is. When something sad happens, many people look for help or comfort from many different sources. That's fine. Whatever makes them feel better and doesn't hurt anyone is a beautiful thing. But none of those sources of psychic comfort represents "The Truth." None of them are (that should actually be "None of them is...", shouldn't it?) more correct or more noble or more righteous or more universal than any others. They are all simply what works for a particular person at a particular time in a particular situation.

What we all need to do is just what people have been saying for decades:
-- pay less attention to the expectations of others
-- enjoy your relationships if they enrich your life (and jettison them if they are consistently negative)
-- don't depend too much on anyone (that doesn't mean never trust)
-- give people the benefit of the doubt (as long as there is any doubt)
-- do what makes you happy (so long as it doesn't hurt others)
-- don't be mad at the world for being the way it is (the world doesn't know or care that you are mad and is not going to change)
-- if you're unhappy with something, change it or get over it
-- eat oreos
-- don't read sappy books with sappy lists like this

All of that is, of course, unoriginal, trite. But being trite (and sappy) doesn't mean it's not true. And it doesn't hurt me to be reminded of ancient truths from time to time. Perhaps I'm just weak-minded, but I like to be reminded of things frequently.

It's weird how being just a little sad and just a little lonely makes me all of a sudden sound like a sentimental drunk. Boo hoo.... ;-)