The shining path

"The world's in a mess...there is no happiness! "- or so the song goes from George Gershwin's musical "Crazy for You." What is that elusive quality that we all strive for even though it almost always remains hidden under the outer layers of daily living? Let me venture an answer: what we want is confirmation that the way we live and think is the BEST way. In a world where we no longer automatically accept the guideposts given to us by education, religion and family for a signal we long for a signal, if not divine then at least psychic, that the how we live and what we think is the RIGHT PATH. The problem is that we cannot see this path - but we can sense it from our experiences.
For instance, I'm worried about an upcoming "family reunion" in the Berkshires. Will I be able to sleep? Or breathe? Will I have to use the bathroom 8-9 times a night? Will it be miserable? Then I think that many of the things in life I've dreaded at first turn out to be great in the end. For example when I met my son's future wife at first glance I didn't think she had much of a chance of winning the Miss World competition. But it turned out she had a sparkling sense of humor, an amazing vocabulary and (later) a fab blog! And this is how I use "guideposts" to go into the future without too much anxiety. I fret about the reunion but it will probably work out just fine. The same goes with my financial investments: the greater the worry the better the reward! I fear death - but if I use my"guidepost" strategy, I need not.
This morning I discussed a simple environmental plan to conserve energy with my son: why don't we all move to a warmer climate (like Costa Rica or even southern Florida) in the cold months and then move back north in the warmer months. We would have small places, of course, that would be easy to maintain and we would walk to most places. That in itself would solve most of the "energy" problems. But who's going to do it? Practically no one because what about jobs and schools? But retired people like me could do it. Or we could just live in smaller places that could collect solar or geothermal energy and have neighborhood "cafeterias" where we could go to eat. I know it sounds laughable. But don't forget human nature is the only thing standing in our way to solve our problems. And I don't believe in coercing anyone to do anything except people who break the law.
Hope my readers find this a little thought provoking. Remember, patterns repeat. Have an intellectually satisfying day. Listen to some of Gershwin's music!