2005Mar11

Friday

It’s approaching the close of another chapter in this mystery (my life), wrought with so much clandestine activity the foreshadowing of my future is hazy. It hinges on no one in particular, but the undercover lives of the majority here obscures the blatency of the truth in this town. “You’re either a friend or a fed”, someone said to me. Arcata’s homeless task force is breaking down and people’s psycho-spiritual needs are still not being met. There’s a weak focus on ethics and morality – so weak that the rule seems to be ‘whatever one can get away with’ and the ends justify the means when one’s reputation is at stake. There’s a wave of narcissism (and liberal, at that) which takes precedence over individual emotional concerns. The fact is, individuals are not valued here above their replaceable qualities. There’s a prevalent attitude of ‘move on, gypsy’ after the work is done but before the worker’s expectations are met. Given lies and false hope, the exploitation of those seeking and stumbling is rewarded. A strong moral character is not valued…..

[to be continued]