It’s been a while. Variety of reasons, none of them original or spectacular. Lots been going on, and nothing happening. The world keeps on turning, regardless of what’s going on. I have come to the conclusion that the tragedies and horrors of the world, as shocking as they may be, have little to no effect on my day-to-day life. That’s not to say I don’t care, of course I do. But, as terrible as the shootings in Paris are, or as sad as a jetliner disappearing is for those who lose someone, no amount of social media outpouring of support or petitioning will stop it from happening again.

I’m not saying that we don’t all have our opinions, viewpoints and pet (and I don’t mean the fluffy variety) causes. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t have empathy or sympathy for those affected. We either have to put up or shut up. If we feel strongly about something, be it Obamacare or the treatment of returning soldiers, or religious fanatics doing their worst, then do something about it. I am no Emily Pankhurst, believe me. I don’t feel the need to picket, petition, march or protest publicly. I am just lazy, like most of the population of the developed world. All I want to do is get on with my comfortable life. I don’t ignore poverty, natural disaster, terrorism, or cruelty. But speaking honestly, I don’t do anything about them either. Partly because I feel that there is little I can do about most of it, but also because selfishly, it doesn’t really affect me. That sounds a little bratty and spoiled I know. But I’m just being honest.

Watching the greedy antics of those in power and listening to their pompous rhetoric about how everyone else should live their lives, leads me to believe that there will be no new “Revolution”. No new “Civil War”. Because most people are like me — politically and socially lazy. Oh, everyone talks a good fight. But action — only special people can do that.

What happened in Paris last week was terrible. Seventeen people and all of those who loved them had their lives changed in just a few minutes. Millions of people descended upon Paris this weekend — “#jesuischarlie”. They came to demonstrate their outrage at what happened.Their support for those who were affected. A massive yell of intolerance for the senseless killing. Good for them. Good for freedom of speech. I actually think that what they did is admirable. Showing strength in numbers. But will it change anything? I’d like to think so, but I am not sure if it will. we had 9/11. we had the Underground bombings in London. We’ve had terror attacks all over the world. They’re still happening. They have always happened. They will always happen.

The days of “the peasants revolting” are long gone. Still as we see today’s rich getting richer and the gap between them and the rest of us becoming ever-wider, perhaps a new revolution is near. I have been largely unaffected by the financial crisis. I had my own sh*t going on at the time. People will always rant about what affects them. There comes a time in your life when you realize that you are affected by less worldly things. That somehow, none of it matters because the things that matter have been taken away. Then those who are left don’t have the energy to fight any more.

And then there’s religion. There have always been divisions in religious beliefs. We have always seen killings because of them. We see groups who are unafraid to show their fanaticism, their intolerance of others’ beliefs. People who honestly believe that their way is the only way. That’s not new of course, but that in itself may stir my indignance. Maybe I will have to change my mind.

I was too young for the protest marches of the sixties. Ban the Bomb! I was growing up on the wrong continent for protesting against Vietnam. And now, I don’t really see myself in a sit-in to wage a virtual war against a form of religion that I (like most other people) know little about. I am more tolerant than that. I am less tolerant of ignorant rants based on fear. Facebook is filled with photos, cartoons, writings and opinions about the Islamic faith and what a scourge it is. People just want to blame someone for everything. The fear factor is huge. One picture I saw expressed it well. A picture of the Ku Klux Klan with the caption “We don’t think this group of people is representative of all Christians”, followed by a picture of Muslim activists and the caption “So why do we think these people represent all Muslims?”.

So there you have it.

Why can’t we all just get along?