HOUSE OF CARDS

I couldn’t help but wonder when it would finally come down.  It’s balanced so precariously that it should have crumbled years ago, yet it continues to stand like a testament to the folly of willful neglect.

From the outside it looks stable.  In fact, it’s even admired in certain circles.  Praises are sung to its longevity; others seek to emulate its design and a few weep because by comparison their own seems wretched.  But nobody is privy to the truth.  That it’s fundamentally unstable is a jealously guarded secret.

I suppose we all cling to a few wobbly notions, thinking that they will support us like a raft in a storm.  Or we’ve been conditioned to think that they are worth maintaining, even though we can’t logically defend the choice.  Maybe the unknown is so terrifying that resignation seems safer. 

Safer than what?  Living a lie?  Just because everyone agrees to participate doesn’t make the premise true.  It becomes a group falsehood.    Instead of the delusion being limited to one, it spreads like a virus until the entire collective is infected.  Those that are born into it have no other standard of measure, accept it as gospel and carry it forward into perpetuity.

Sins of the the father visited upon the generations…  I used to think that was an outrageous statement.  I mean, why should non-involved individuals be saddled with the mistakes of others?  But upon reflection -and a good chunk of personal experience- I realized that this has less to do with blame assignment than with consequence. 

We think of ourselves as autonomous creatures with free will and perhaps we are, but our actions are not limited to ourselves.  They travel past our comfort zones into the boundaries of others, enmeshing everyone in a fabric that extends far beyond the limited notions of self.  You may believe your behaviors effect no one but you, but they trigger a cascade reaction that forces everyone to compensate.  It doesn’t matter whether you think of it as domino effect, unification theory or oneness of all, the end result is the same.

Makes you think twice about opening your mouth, doesn’t it?  If every word, thought and action has a reaction, what are you causing with yours?  Compassion and understanding, or just passing the dysfunctional buck onto the next poor soul?