The times we live in are like no other in history. We have the internet, which allows us to connect with people all over the world. We have jets that can take us anywhere with a dull routine involving a few hours out of our lives. Life expectancy constantly climbs as we learn more and more about the most stunning details of our once fragile flesh. Our world is like no other before it.
Yeah, right.
For most people, the definition of the Good Life™ is easy – you play by the Rules and get ahead. Some people prefer to break the Rules and get ahead on their own terms. Some of us, however, stand off to the side a little bit and wonder just what these “Rules” are and who was involved in creating them. Barataria, true to its name as the home to Gentleman Pirate, Jean Lafitte, has been attracting a lot of the third group lately.
For many people, this is a time of great uncertainty – they don’t know what is going to happen next. For those of us who study history, what happens next isn’t the question, but rather how bad it will be – and what happens after that. This may sound like the same thing, and as far as most people are concerned it probably is. But there is a boundary to what might possibly go down and there are known likely effects of this situation. The more we understand what happened before, the more we can take confidence that we at least know where we are.
I was challenged recently to explain what happened to our economy in simple terms. I set myself a limit of 800 words, and as you can see I failed. But I like this essay and I hope you do, too. I don’t want to take out anything.
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The kids are off to school, and the morning shifts into a dull quiet. It’s time to do what I have to do – time for a routine. Getting back into it is difficult when there’s little definition to my constant scrambling for work, but it’s important. The research trip to Miami is long over with now, and I’m back alone in the cold silence of my Saint Paul routine.
Barataria - The work of Erik Hare 