Keep it Simple: While Rome burns, I’d rather fiddle
One of the occupational hazards of writing a column is the obligation to keep up with what is going on in the news — politically and culturally and then weave that news into a somewhat coherent commentary.
These days current events are anything if not a dismal mess of discouraging news led by the likes of a disgraced ex-president who has the temerity, after attempting to dismantle democracy while in office the first time and who is now trying to do the same damn thing in the upcoming 2024 election; all while he faces four indictments for criminal wrongdoing. What a ridiculous country we find ourselves living in here in the early stages of the 21st century.
Hate crimes against religious minorities, Jews, gays and trans people, people of color, and women, are all on the rise; as are mass shootings, which, in many cases, are directed at these people so many of our citizens seems to have put a great amount of effort and zeal into discriminating against.
Book bannings are the latest rage all across the country and state legislators in many locales have been courting bigoted voters by falling all over themselves to pass laws to appease these book banners who also relish legislation against anyone whose sexual orientation may be different than their own.
Climate change denialism is all the rage as well and one wonders how many more floods/wildfires/tornadoes/hurricanes we must endure before the deniers get it through their thick skulls we are befouling our planet at an alarming rate and to the point where we may not ever be able to return to the “good old days” which they so clearly love — you know, back to the days when women, black people and gays “knew their place.”
The emperor Nero supposedly fiddled while Rome burned, although historians believe if Nero did anything while Rome was aflame he would have done it while plucking the strings on a lyre, seeing as fiddles, or violins, weren’t invented until 1,500 years after the fact.
So while Nero fiddled or lyred, or whatever, Rome went to hell in the proverbial handbasket, I see many similarities today between the decline of Rome and what this country is currently witnessing in all its garish splendor.
Like I say, it’s really hard for columnists to immerse themselves in this dreck we call modern life.
About a third of my columns put the spotlight on current events as I try to make sense of why someone in their right mind would support a likely criminal who has already been found culpable for sexual assault, for the high office of president. It’s literally incomprehensible.
The other two-thirds of column content focuses on what I refer to as the “folksy stuff.”
Sometimes humorous, sometimes thought-provoking, sometimes quirky and sometimes just plain deliciously weird. Sandhill cranes, my garden, tree planting, nature, failures in beekeeping, travel, grandchildren, new glasses, grandparent role models, goofy ways of disposing of my earthly remains, have all served as fodder for past folksy columns.
Trust me, I would rather be writing about preparing faux pumpkin pies made from butternut squash for Thanksgiving dinner than wading through the latest ex-president shenanigans and the oafs who worship at his tiny feet, or the many cruel ways these tiny-minded people have of discriminating against innocent folks who are part of my worldwide community. But as a columnist, I have a moral obligation to comment on our foibles, warts and all, and will continue to do so even though I would prefer a trip to the dentist than commenting on gun violence, hate and anger in America and an ex-president who delights in being a pathological liar.
Yes, I think while our current version of a burning Rome continues unabated, I would rather enjoy fiddling around writing about sandhill cranes flying over my backyard or the delights of what to do with an overabundance of butternut squash from my garden. It’s as simple as that.
— Michael Jones is a columnist and contributor for the Gaylord Herald Times. He can be reached at mfomike2@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Keep it Simple: While Rome burns, I’d rather fiddle
