: DANGER!!
The scene – a clearing at the edge of a dense forest. The year, roughly 8,000 BC.
Ung the caveman cautiously stepped out of the forest into the clearing. It felt good to be under the sun, but he was alone and had to be on the watch for predators. There was a large rock in the middle of the clearing that had been left by the last glacier. Ung did not know this, since that was over 2000 years ago; the glacier was now 500 miles to the north and still receding. But no matter. His goal was to get to the rock, enjoy a bit of sun, and then get back to the cave before sun down.
Halfway across the clearing, the hairs on the back of Ung’s neck suddenly bristled. He had missed something. Turning around to his right, he saw a pack of wolves loping across the clearing. Immediately Ung saw everything very clearly and in slow motion. His adrenal glands had kicked into high gear and epinephrine poured into his blood stream. In a fraction of a second the release of chemical messengers resulted in the production of the hormone cortisol, which increased Ung’s blood pressure, blood sugar, and suppressed his immune & digestive systems. Ung’s heart rate quickly doubled and he felt his scrotum & sphincter muscles tighten up.
Ung was ready for action, but he only had two choices. Up ahead, he could see that the large rock had a concave wall where the wolves could not surround him. Ung had his good club with him as well as his best flint knife, so he might be able to fight the wolves off. Alternatively, Ung could run for the forest over to his left – there were trees that Ung could climb and get out of reach – the wolves would eventually give up.
What should Ung do? Should he fight or take flight?
The scene – my bedroom, early morning. The date – late November, 2016
I wake up much earlier than usual. DANGER! The alarm has not yet rung, yet I am immediately wide awake. My heart is pounding, adrenaline is pouring into my blood stream. DANGER! ! Eric! You’re in serious danger, your family is in danger. Do something! Fight or flight, Eric. DANGER!
I’m now wide awake, so there’s no point in sleeping.
You likely see where I’m going with this. Since the recent election my body has been in full fight or flight mode. Unfortunately this ancient & primitive body response does me no good. I am in no immediate danger – Trump is not setting packs of wild wolves loose in Montclair, NJ.
I did not feel like this when Nixon was elected. Not Reagan. Not Bush I or II. The only thing in my lifetime that I can compare this to is the Cuban Missile Crisis. At the time I was in 9th grade going to Woodrow Wilson Junior High School in Clifton. My classroom faced the west and about 1/4 mile away I could see Garrett Mountain (which faced east towards New York). I looked out the window every few minutes and braced myself for a sudden large flash of light reflecting off the cliffs. That would let me know that the bomb had dropped on New York City and I would have maybe 15 seconds of life left before the shock wave of the blast reached 12 miles west from New York to Clifton.
Now I am not worried that Trump is going to start world war 3 or drop the bomb. It wouldn’t be good for his businesses. The dangers are long term and slow moving. Of all the bad stuff that is likely to happen, the worst of all is the damage that will done to the environment. We can recover from another financial collapse, another round of terrorism, etc. But the things that will be done to our global eco-system will be irreversible for many lifetimes. I will not see the worst of this, but my children and any grandkids will suffer the consequences of the bad decisions being made now.
I am optimistic by temperament but pessimistic by intellect – and I see no way that we’ll get through the next 4 years without some serious collateral damage. The absolute best possible outcome I can hypothesize is that Trump screws up quickly but not too seriously – i.e. he screws up just enough to change the body politic but that any damage done is easily recoverable. But that is a very low probability event.
Let’s all hope that I am mistaken. I will gladly be wrong. In fact, I’ll go further. I’m not religious, but if anyone out there wants to pray that I am wrong? Go for it – you have my blessing.
Meanwhile, I’ve been trying to put that excess adrenaline to use and have been busy finishing up a string quartet.
Sorry for the bummer post here. Next time around I hope to be back with some quirky humor or observation.
DANGER!!
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December 10, Saturday, 7:00PM-8:30PM – Out Of The Red Concert at Parkside Lounge, 317 E. Houston, New York, NY 10002 (212) 673-6270
This is a fund raiser for the Composer’s Collective – a non profit NYC based group of folks dedicated to composing and creating new music – and of which I’m a member. This hour and 1/2 event will feature of variety of performers doing original compositions. Somewhere in this mix I will be playing some rock & roll piano. So this is a rare (albeit brief) chance to catch me playing in New York and it will give you the opportunity to donate some $$ to a worthy cause. Tickets are $20 and I believe there is a two drink minimum. You can get tickets ahead of time at the link just below or you can pay at the door. Plus it’s over at 8:30 so you will be out and about at a decent hour.http://www.composerscollective.org/event/out-of-the-red-fundraiser/http://www.composerscollective.org/http://www.parksidelounge.com/
December 17, Saturday, 9:00PM-1:00AM – Better Off Dead at The Great Notch Inn, Route 46, Little Falls (973) 256-7742
It’s BOD’s annual Christmas theme’s extravaganza at “Da Notch” Once again I will have to humiliate myself and wear an elf’s cap. The things I have to put up with…..
http://www.betteroffdead.com/home.htm/
http://www.agreatertown.com/little_falls_nj/great_notch_inn_new_jerseys_rockin_roadhouse_00089580