The Life of Lou Ruppert

I was talking with my friends tonight about how some people overindulge themselves in certain emotions and situations. They’re like dogs who get into the trash, or the bag of dog food, and just keep gorging themselves on what they’ve found until they make themselves sick. It might be bad romance novels, angry music, tear-jerker movies, violent action films, scary horror movies, cliff-hangers, abusive relationships, overbearing job situations, or anything really. We noticed that the results never seem to be healthy. A glass or two of wine every day is healthy. A jug of it after dinner every night is a sign of a problem. We have friends who are addicted to video games, television, sports, work, relationships, and of course boring old drugs.

Instead of seeking balance and authenticity in our lives, the natural tendency, the human force of entropy, is to plunge headlong towards some grotesque extreme. While exceptional specimens will produce symphonies and cures for cancer, if left to their own devices, the vast majority of us will eventually do nothing more than deform the cushions of the couch, shoving bonbon after decadent bonbon into our sugared lips, as our life flickers before our eyes, trapped in the box we keep it in on the other side of the room. Why do wealthy celebrities always seem to go insane so spectacularly? Strap a rocket to a plane with no rudder, and see how safe the crash is…

There’s nothing wrong with wanting a corvette. Yet, if you have six of them in the garage already and are considering demolishing the house next door to make room to store more of them, you may have a problem. Wisdom is found in being able to recognize the border between normalcy and excess, between your bowl of life and getting your head caught in the food sack. There’s a point where you have to say “I’m angry at government, and one more political commentary show isn’t going to help that go away.” or “I’ve been sad all my life, and listening to weepy music and wearing black all the time isn’t helping it. I don’t need more sadness; I need less!” Find a balance. Find something good, and trustworthy, and helpful, and try to get more of that, not of stuff you already have too much of. That’s a life worth living. Nobody wants to live in a house full of knick-knacks with nothing in the fridge. Choose your investments wisely.

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