“These are surely strange times we’re living in, Mike, with Biden’s faculties starting to slip and Trump long over the edge. Do you think we’ll ever get back to what was once considered normal?”
“To tell you the truth, Pat, I can’t remember when that was. Things are so screwed up today with conflict, drugs, crime, guns, and political stalemate; it seems that whatever was holding us together as a country is slipping. When the last time you felt confident about the future?
“With all the problems we have here at home, how can we be expected to deal sensibly with what’s going on with Russia and China. We can’t afford to stumble into a conflict leading to a nuclear confrontation. War never was a rational option. With today’s weapons, it’s insanity.
The ‘Troubles’ we experienced in the old country were bad enough but insignificant when compared with what we face today.”
“I sometimes fear, Mike, that we don’t have the capacity to properly assess the consequences of the risks we take or the restraint necessary to avoid conflict. I love Joe Biden even though at 80 he may becoming a little daffy. I’ll take daffy over nuts any day.
“What about today’s immigration crisis, Pat? As we know, in the 19th century, our Irish ancestors fled British oppression and the potato famine. How can we overlook the plight of those at the southern border fleeing deprivation and oppression? We can’t take them all, but we could at least try to improve conditions in the Latin American countries from which they came.
“Are ‘all men created equal; life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; love thy neighbor and the common good’ only for a few? Or goals, probably unattainable, that mankind should nevertheless try to achieve.”
“It seems to me, Mike, that evolution is a two-way street. What we view as progress often has a downside, adverse consequences often unanticipated. The fact we can innovate and accomplish more does not necessarily make us better people. We sometimes seem less tolerant and more self-centered.”
Hearing this back and forth, Bart joins in: “What are you two fellas talking about, we’re here to have a beer and talk some sports and you two sound like Face the Nation. There’s enough confusion out there in the real world. We come to the pub to get away from all that and a few to get away from our wives. “If I wanted the news, I’d turn on MSNBC or in a weak moment, Fox. I’m here to forget about all that for a while and I’m having to listen to a seminar on what’s wrong with us. I can get that at home.
“Let’s be practical. After my last argument with my wife, I came up with a new way to apologize. Instead of asking for forgiveness. I say, with all sincerity, ‘I’m sorry that happened.’ Sounds like an apology but it isn’t. You haven’t acknowledged any blame. Works like a charm!”
“Good advice, Bart! I guess me and Pat got carried away. There ain’t much we can do to solve the ills of the world, but we sometimes like to think we could do better than those in charge. It’s probably hopeless but at the bar we can at least speculate.”
“Hey, Jack! Another Guinness for Bart here, so we can raise a glass to futility.”
James W. Dolan is a retired Dorchester District Court judge who now practices law.
