This or That

I tend to see things in all or nothing terms. Like some politicians (either you are for us or you are agin' us) and other children I yearn for certainty. Unfortunately this flies in the face of my personal experience - where little if anything is certain. As I go through the day the world seems made up of an infinite continuum of grey with no firm demarcation of white versus black, good versus evil or republican versus democrat.

I have dabbled in religion, philosophy and science. They have provided some comfort and are still some of my favorite entertainments. Yet I have not found certainty in them. Many others have found certainty in one or more of the great endeavors of the human intellect. I have not. The fault must be mine. How could I conclude otherwise, when I see so many apparently happy souls espousing various immutable laws and thereoms as the answer to life's happiness. How I long for the certainty of being able to see the world in terms of this or that, good or bad or simply chocolate or vanilla.

O woe is me! I cannot find the comfort of certainty in religion, philosophy and science. I must "endeavor to persevere" as Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce is reported to have said. I must continue trying to act loving and kind simply because doing so enables me to avoid returning to the mental hospital. Boo hoo. Boo hoo. Now where is that candy bar?