He could have written this yesterday.

A relatively concise observation from Tocqueville on "Why Americans are so restless in the midst of their prosperity."

(Remember, this was published in 1835)

"Sometimes you still come across, in certain remote districts of the Old World, small populations which have been almost forgotten in the general commotion and which have stayed stationary while everything moved around them. Most of these peoples are very ignorant and wretched. They take no part in government affairs and often governments oppress them. Yet they normally look calm and possess a playful disposition.

In America, I have seen the freest and the best educated men in the happiest circumstances the world can afford; yet, it seemed to me that a cloud usually darkened their features and they appeared serious and almost sad even when they were enjoying themselves.

The main reason for this is that the first group ignore the sufferings they endure while the second constantly muse on the good things they are missing.

It is a strange thing to see the feverish enthusiasm which accompanies the Americans' pursuit of prosperity and the way they are ceaselessly tormented by the vague fear that they have failed to choose the shortest route to achieve it.

The inhabitants of the United States cling to the good things of this world as if assured that they will never die, and they are so impatient to snatch any that come within their grasp that they might be supposed to spend every moment frightened that they will stop living before being able to enjoy them. They snatch at them all without holding them fast; they soon let them slip from their hands in order to chase new pleasures.

At first, there is astonishment at the sight of this peculiar restlessness in so many happy men in the midst of abundance. Yet this is a sight as old as the world; what is new is to see a whole nation involved."

I never knew this sort of national attitude went back so far in history.

I guess...

This summer got off to a late start, and it's trying to make up for it by squeezing the same amount of heat into fewer days. Honestly I'd take 75 over 95 anyday - but I can't change the weather anymore than I can change history.  

One of my highlights this summer has been my volunteering at Kateri Park again with the refugee kids. Every monday we play soccer for 2 hours and it's really a delight. The kids have some respect for me and we manage to have a good time without causing much trouble - we might even get better at soccer by accident! The volunteers that show up each week are a lot of fun as well. They come not knowing what they're getting into, but always leave smiling.

I've gotten back onto the security team with Imago Dei as well - it's nice to be getting involved again with the church. I really do like this community, and I'm looking forward to serving with them during their Love Portland ministry this Saturday where we go out to different public schools to help them get ready for the coming school year.

Another awesome event this summer we the Portland Adult Soapbox Derby - an awesome collaboration of speed, art, and creativity with just a dash of alcohol and danger thrown in for good measure. Very fun to watch and cheer on the racers, who took their lives into their own hands sometimes racing down Mt. Tabor.

I was talking to my friend the other day who graduated from college this summer about what it's like being done with school. Once we passed the jokes about having to do our own laundry and shopping and stuff, we started to lament a bit about how back in high school it always seemed like there was no horizon on life. You decided to do something and did it - no serious things to consider, no real lasting consequences, no missing out on anything else important because whatever we decided to do was the best thing to do. But if you got the chance to do something amazing, like travel the world or attend some really important event, it was more good fortune than anything else.

Now that schools out - and I'm unemployed - I can do some really cool stuff. But now there's always a trade-off that either never existed or I just never noticed when I was younger. There's too many things to be done, stuff that I want to do, and not enough of me to go around and do it all. For example, when I went to Europe I sacrificed getting more involved at Imago Dei and seeing a girl I met just before I left. Both options would have been good, but how does one choose between two good, desirable options? People say just follow your heart/dreams/gut - but what if your gut wants to do 5 different things? Anytime you choose one you deny the other choices.

Eventually though you do have to choose something, or at least you ought to, because choosing to do nothing is probably the worst option of them all - an intentional paralysis which guarantees you get none of the things  you wanted. You can't have everything, but you can get nothing - just have to decide for ourselves what "everything" and "nothing" means and then shoot for the best.

I guess...