The Besz Dispenser - This Week's Rant

For the week of March 17th, 2000

Pondering life and death

As I sit here at 6:15 a.m., pondering just why I stayed up this late, I realize that there are a lot of really cool Web sites to go over and look at. Why am I surfing the Web at this time, what with a training seminar which for I have to leave for in 40 minutes? Because I can't sleep, that's why.

And I've just discovered that, according to www.deathclock.com, I will die on November 1, 2031 - a Saturday.

My luck says that this will be a gorgeous day, and that I'll be strolling along and a psychotic squirrel will jump on me for some nuts and I'll have a heart attack.

Damn it that makes me angry, and it hasn't even happened yet. Damn my luck. I have to wonder how good it is for me to look at a Web site like this, at this time of the morning, and with no sleep. I also wonder how safe it is to eat McDonald's food, but I do it anyway.

It's sort of like a train wreck. You don't want to see anyone die, but some blood and guts with some dramatic screaming would be cool, wouldn't it? We are a sick, self-destructive people, and nothing says that more than television. Not the TV shows, because most youngins today don't remember the good stuff like the A-Team or Tour of Duty and G.I. Joe.

We had it good, but the new breed, they missed it all. They had to survive off of the Power Rangers and Pokemon. What fun is that? And think about it, they are more violent now than we ever were (or at the very least, we were smart about covering our tracks while they have no clue). After Pokemon, I understand why.

But I'm talking about the news. The news is worse than any violent show around because it is now the most gory thing I watch daily. And you just can't get enough of the carnage, because they will broadcast it to your TV.

Isn't it great?

No, it's not. Hell, it was hard to watch it because it was boring. Now, it's just too exciting. And video games mean nothing in comparison to it.

I don't care if Quake shows more human anatomy than most doctors see in their life, it's better than thinking that one of the people you ride the bus with could be that guy who's been stealing wallets. Or worse, been cutting people up badly.

I think that we, as a race, should re-evaluate where we stand on this planet. Maybe we should actually just calm down, relax, turn off our televisions, put down our papers and talk to each other, see what we can do about making this world a better place.

Because until you actually do that, you won't see the good side of life. And that always has better news.

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