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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the world is a crazy place. We live in a world where large swaths of the media would prefer to talk about Charlie Sheen’s drug addiction rather than the insanity that is Colonel Gaddafi and the situation in Libya. If you want an absolutely insane individual on camera spouting some of the most batshit rhetoric you’ve ever heard, Gaddafi is some low hanging fruit ripe for the picking. That way you can get the crazy guy ranting AND world news at the same time.

But no, Charlie Sheen trumps all.

It’s enough to make anyone want to go into hibernation until things start to make a bit more sense, but we all know we’d be asleep forever if that were the case.

It’s hard not to look around at the political landscape and the world in general and not feel dismayed, especially if you’re an American with even half a brain. When people in your country start attacking teachers’ salaries while, in the same breath, defending the outrageous salaries of CEO’s bailed out by the US government, you know there are some priorities that need to be straightened out.

I try not to get too political here, so let me reel it in. Surprisingly enough, politics seem to get people more riled up these days than religion. Go figure.

The point of all this isn’t to discuss personal politics. It’s to point out (as if it needs pointing out, right?) that the world we live in is absolutely insane. It’s best to recognize it and reconcile that fact in your mind. The nice thing is that it’s usually pretty hilarious even when it’s being sort of depressing. Gaddafi is a great example, you’ve got this dictator in charge of an entire country who says some of the most inane things I’ve ever heard uttered. On the one hand, it’s terrible that this guy does what he does and on the other hand he says shit like, “there is no state with a democracy except Libya on the whole planet.” I mean, what is THAT all about? It’s not even propaganda, it’s just totally insane.

Without crucial information like this, it’d be difficult to live a life that also includes an awareness of the things beyond our own little lives. Here, at the micro level, a sense of balance is relatively easy to maintain. There are ups and downs, personal trials and personal triumphs. We can look at these things and create a sense of satisfaction, or at least a sort of resigned mentality about them. When we extend our sights beyond, into the scope of the global stage, it’s more difficult. A great many people suffer every day for the stupidest reasons. People hurt each other constantly over the most petty differences. Humanity can be cruel and those of us with a sense for what’s good and rational are often left standing with mouth agape, confused and mortified. But indignity and anger don’t really have a proper place in our lives or in the process of fixing things. Some people take these things and turn off entirely. They refuse to recognize the problems that exist in their own lives or in the lives of others. Thankfully, a great many other people wish they could do something to make life a little easier for others. That’s a tough order to fill these days and the reality is that serious change starts with us.

Being able to maintain a happy and healthy mental life is the start of helping others do the same. You don’t need to change the entire world by yourself. It’s all about making yourself a rock for other people to lean against when they need you. By recognizing that our world has problems, we can work toward changing ourselves to alleviate our contributions to those problems. By recognizing that the world is, indeed, a hilarious place and that there is some real good out there as well, we give ourselves the fuel we need to continue on.

Without that fuel, it’s tough to stay awake through it all. It’s tough not to go into hibernation just to get a break from it all. But sleeping away the days may save us from all the bad, but it also keeps us from all the good.

I wouldn’t miss out on that for anything.

And I certainly wouldn’t miss out on one of Gaddafi’s brilliant lines, either.

That would be a real shame.

While I’m on the topic, my warmest wishes go out to those people in Egypt and the Middle East in general working to take back their governments from despots. While it’s unlikely that anyone from that part of the world reads this silly comic, I still wish them the best. It’s a very worthwhile endeavor and they all have my respect and sympathies <3