Musings from the unamused

Hostages have been in the news lately. I suppose, to some extent we are all hostages of some sort. Trapped, like caged animals we wander aimlessly through our daily routines.

At the present moment I am not unhappy with being alive. It would not be better to be dead. The use of the double negative is irritatingly potent but quite necessary in this case. Life presents so many obstacles that don't bear thinking about. Even the eternal optimist would be hard put to not find something unhappy about life. I make no pretence to be a philospher, but if one assumes that life is 'good' then my logic dictates that this must denote the existence of something that is NOT good. Not good, I hear you quip? Not quite, but then again not really. As I mentioned earlier, it would not be better to be dead. I may have changed my mind in 60 hours time, thereby illustrating the transience of life (and, naturally, the concept of 'goodness' that accompanies it).

We live. We die. That is a certainty. We pass, we fail - whether the heavens will a more or less benign fate, we may choose to lie down and accept the thrashing of reality, stooping with each blow of humiliation. We can fail and fall - consigned to the empty vacuum of historical detritus. Dead in all but name before the first fight has finished.
Or we can rise. The oppressed shall resurrect their dignity and stumble no longer. Yea, the fallen shall rise again and cast of the chains that bind them to the steel-capped spokes of life's Catherine wheel. We may be beaten down, but we shall NEVER be vanquished, e'er the faintest trickle shall drain the fount of life - we shall prevail o'er our foes, and victory, like the rays blood-red dawn will cast her avenging hand to smite the enemy. Fear not, fail not, for the day of judgement is at hand and we shall prevail!