Oh Boy...

The first line of The Beatles, “A Day in the Life” has been ceaselessly running through my head for the past 24 hours:

I read the news today, oh boy…

This incident isn’t a great mystery to me, as I’m pretty sure it is a product of my subconscious letting me know that I’m not the first person, nor will I be the last, to become depressed by the state of the world.

It all began at around this time yesterday morning.

I was sitting in a comfortable, sun-drenched chair, reading the newspaper (Financial Times, to be exact), with the TV on in the background (FOX news, oddly enough).
While trying to figure out exactly what Exchange Traded Funds are (I’m still not sure) and proud of myself for recognizing “indices” as another way of expressing “indexes,” I overheard the modulated news voices in the background. Some newscaster or another was discussing the inevitable end of Hillary’s (by far, the best potential candidate we had come up with in years) campaign and the fact that Obama (ugh) will be the Democratic frontrunner against a septuagenarian who would like to stay in Iraq. Next story was about the fanatical polygamists in Texas- which was naturally followed by oil prices and America’s deteriorating economy (although everyone is too scared to call it what it is: a recession.)

With my brain actually hurting from doing my very best internalize the pros and cons of the multiple methods of index replications, I freaked out about (going to) business school and my lack of related understanding, and quickly turned to the New York Times article on the death of Yves Saint Laurent.
Fashion- I can do.

But even that depressed me. I may understand it, but I was still reading about death. The loss of someone so talented that brought even more splendor into the public eye- and that was the best I could do? Death?

Before I managed to turn the television off, there was one last news brief that managed to invade the room I was sitting in- and that was about the car bombing at the Danish embassy in Islamabad.

I threw the remote against the opposing wall so hard that the back fell off and the batteries rolled over and stopped at my feet as though bowing in servitude. I left my pile of newspapers strewn around the floor in a massacre of words and torn pages. I couldn’t handle it. I was so wound up that I found I was unable to eat or concentrate on anything I was meant to be doing. This is uncharacteristic for me- as I always remain aware of the state of the world BUT I don’t let the things that are out of my control affect me. I do what I can, take the necessary steps towards being able to do more in the future, and live my life the best way I know possible.

Yesterday however, it got to me. It all got to me- everything that has been building up: eight years of an idiot running (and ruining) the country, an environment sending out signals that it’s dying- that we are killing it- and is almost past the point of no return, wars, extremists, unnecessary death, hatred, incurable illness, hunger, natural disasters, tyrannical leaders…I could go on. I could go on forever.

And then, as music has a way of calming souls, The Beatles came to mind…and either Paul or John- Or Ringo or George- wrote down his thoughts one day- consistent with mine, as he read the news today, oh boy- and went on with his life…and made the world a better place with his contribution.

And hopefully-one day- I will be able to do that too.