Blankets

August 9, 2026

In a recent conversation with a colleague of mine, the subject of student loan debt came up and I informed him that I was still paying off college (and probably will be for a while).  Then we meandered into thoughts on student loan forgiveness, along with income-based repayment plans, then onto how rigged the system is in favor of the “big guys” anyway.  I made a comment about all of it being a mass case of corruption and that nobody who’s in the business of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars these days (through loans or other means) is operating under proper ethical pretenses.

He politely interjected, “Some of my conservative cohorts would say, ‘Hey buddy, you signed on the dotted line, so it’s your responsibility to pay it back’.  I mean, I’m not sure I totally agree with this, but they make a reasonable point.”

I explained that I’m not against paying back borrowed monies, but loathsome over the fact that we have to go to such normalized extremes, often to the tune of six figures, in order to receive a proper education; and that earning a degree is no longer exclusive to the academic efforts that a student may set forth (studying, exams, etc.), but now includes the decades it will take them to work it off.  Though I’ll admit that in some ways, it’s only a corrupt and unfair arrangement, until we agree to it.    

“No. You’re 100% correct,” I responded.  “It’s on me at this point”.  Then I realized that, regardless of how much of what I said was true about corruption, I was tossing this belief like a blanket over a smoldering fire that I, more or less, started (with the borrowing).  I then began to wonder, for how many years had I actually been hiding underneath this blanket, this set of excuses?  And for how long have I been allowing it to hold me back?   

Hair of the Dog

Corruption in politics provides us with an enormous amount of coverage if we’re looking for scapegoats or excuses (or to just be angry).  Suppose we were to discover that a mere 10 out of 100 of our local politicians were not corrupted at all by bribes, lobbyists, corporate interest groups and the like.  Could we then say “welp, those are my 10, right there” if we were to learn that their position on abortion, immigration or any other issue of significance is opposite that of our own?  We would probably consider them to be morally degenerate and lump them in with the other 80 autocratic charlatans. 

“The system is literally designed for me to fail”.  It’s difficult to argue with this assertion when we see what’s taking place in the streets of America today.  Many who have been marginalized by this system would have every right to believe they are being pushed out, held down, and discriminated against by the governing body of their own nation.  They’re not wrong.

Here, I’d have to point out that those blankets being casted by citizens who live in fear of leaving their own homes every day, are probably more justified and a bit more weighted than those cast by voters who are more concerned with their income taxes going up or their gambling habits being thwarted by makers of policy. 

Maybe we don’t vote at all; hell, maybe we even stop paying our taxes.  We could start ignoring all sorts of laws that will eventually put us in serious trouble, while the system that we so vehemently abhor puts us behind bars (this is hardly “sticking it to the man”). So maybe we try to ignore politics altogether and go about our business dealing with blankets of a thinner, less polarizing fabric. 

I detest emails.  I’ve never understood computers (and don’t plan to).  I hate driving.  There is nothing wrong with these beliefs at face value, but unless we’re ready to unplug everything and start walking everywhere, condemning such tools of modernity, while still actively utilizing them, is pointless.  For technology will always carry with it the good and the bad.  

The Prevent Defense

The discovery of fire was arguably a necessary component to our survival as a species; but eventually we would learn how to nuke another country and all of its people- or that we could accidentally burn our own houses to the ground.  Fast food follows through on its promise because it’s, well, fast- but we also have to accept that this convenient way of eating provides us with among the worst ingredients (still legally permitted to be labeled as food) that we can put into our body.

Avoiding starvation is good.  Gluttony and arson are bad.  War is horrific.  That seems like a simple way of putting it, but we know that none of the decisions we’re faced with on a day-to-day basis are quite as easy to navigate.  Housing is a mess, healthcare seems as complex and frustrating as ever, most insurance is a bona fide scam, a giant question mark continues to loom over the future of employment, and social injustice is a very real problem; these, along with fast food and fire, can all be traced back to one fat concept that we can’t seem to fully conceal: you guessed it, politics.

Most of us just want to be able to live our lives in peace; and that is when the blanket comes out of the proverbial linen closet.  It makes us feel warm and safe from the pressures that are hitting us from every unimaginable angle.  But we cannot lay restfully beneath it (nor gaze down upon it in its expanded form) for we have our little information source under there with us, like a kid with a flashlight and comic book, and the figures of distraction showing us everything that we should fear, plus the opinions we should have about it.  We don’t need all of these blankets- and we certainly don’t need our devices to tell us when to cover up.

Peace is often used in conjunction with “quiet”.  We know that when we enter public spaces it can be loud, but we seldom think about the noises that nobody can hear but us: the ones in our head.  And no matter how much we try to shield ourselves from the pain or discomfort of unread emails, absences, unpaid bills and debt, it’s still in there with us because we’re fully aware of what we’re hiding from.

We often compose blanket beliefs and truths, which might seem virtuous to us, but in reality are nothing more than dismissive or absolute contrarianisms.  Casting a large shadow over whatever technology or issue is bugging us, doesn’t allow us to fully understand it so that we may interact with it productively or remove ourselves from it, consciously prepared for the next time we cross paths with it.  

Account-a-Bull

Suppose it is confirmed that every corner of the political spectrum is tainted and that this is just how the system works (surprise!).  Then what?  We still have to drive these streets, put fuel in our cars, pay a rent or mortgage, heat our homes, and purchase food to eat.  We could live off the grid, but that’s quite a stretch, particularly when everyone else is still on the grid (My family has dabbled in this and it is spectacular but also incredibly challenging with three children…I’d still do it again).

The beautiful thing about off grid living is that there is significantly less noise, both external and internal; there, peace and quiet actually can exist.  But while it may come in handy in an apocalyptic scenario, this is not a realistic course of action for most people.  The best option we have is to be able to limit the noise and tune our frequencies to channels of opportunity, hope and goodness, while still being able to comprehend all of the failure, fear and badness that exists.  

With regard to personal debt, I made a decision to play the game in my past and I cannot actually step off this dreadful field until I’ve reconciled my accounts.  We have to own up to the choices we make, good or bad; but this helps us to understand how to play the game more effectively the next time we suit up; or whether this is a game that’s even worth playing.  It’s an expensive lesson, but hopefully one we won’t have to repeat.   

Maybe instead of a blanket, we can place a napkin or doily over the shit that we step in.  Not to cover it up and everything around it, but to lay down a marker or indicator of something that sent us toward our survivalist instincts.  Something to be aware of.  That our future selves will thank us for.  Not in pursuit of control and not for coverage, but for inner peace…and maybe some quiet.