dual personalities

Yesterday I met a friend for coffee. We had a lovely time, although we observed more than once that everyone we know, whatever their politics, feels bad about the state of the world and worried about the future and their place in it. There’s not much we can do about the world — it will go as it goes — but we can cheer ourselves up while we attempt to navigate through it. In an effort to do so, let’s look at a few of Gary Larsen’s Far Side cartoons.

You remember The Far Side, don’t you? Larsen’s single-panel cartoons appeared in newspapers, calenders, books and other paraphernalia from 1979-1995, at which point he retired. I have fond memories of my Far Side mug. The caption reads “Chad Billingsly experiencing a period of disinclination” – a sentiment that speaks to me on many levels.

This one, being simply perfect, requires no additional comment.

This classic cartoon has been on the DH’s office door for nigh on thirty years now.

And this one raises many deep, existential questions.

The final cartoon reminds us that as a species we are amazingly clueless, so when everything goes wrong we have only ourselves to blame.

As the DH is fond of saying, humans are at the top of the food chain because we can outwit sheep and lobsters.

Have a wonderful weekend and don’t let the turkeys (or sheep and lobsters) get you down!