The Age of Uncertainty

In my mind the main theme of 2015 - 2016 is Uncertainty. We're living in the Age of Uncertainty.

Over the past couple years there have been numerous events that just a few years ago most people would've have thought of as impossible, absurd, or at least highly unlikely. Week after week there seems to be some new tragedy that dominates the news cycle.

In US politics the surreal has become the new normal.

For presidential candidates, on one side we have a bombastic reality TV show host who behaves more like a professional wrestler never breaking kayfabe than a normal politician. He bullies, exaggerates, complains loudly, and never apologizes... ever. A candidate who is clearly consumed by superficiality. A candidate who would rather insult a potential alley than concede a point. A candidate who can not let things go. A candidate who can never allow even the mildest critique of his person go unrevenged. A candidate who is completely unreceptive to any advice. A candidate who would rather lose than ask for help. A boorish, garish, man-child with the head shape and complexion of a jack-o-lantern.

On the other side we have the corrupt "congenital liar" with a long history of obvious malfeasance. A candidate who has clearly lied numerous times about extremely critical events and gotten away with it for decades. A candidate who demonstrably jeopardized national security with a private email server. A candidate who while acting as Secretary of State whose "Charitable Foundation" received several extremely questionable donations from foreign powers, especially in light of events immediately following those donations. In short, a candidate whose venality may only be matched by her sheer hubris. And we haven't even touched on her incompetence.

How did we get here? Well, in the simplest terms, the Democrats felt the owed Hillary Clinton after 2008 and the Republicans ignored the concerns of their base after the 2012 election. But of course we all know that the story is far more complex than that.



Given those insane options, it's no wonder that people are extremely uncertain about the future. We seem to be shooting the whitewater rapids of some uncharted mountain stream.