It is time
               ...that this site evolved and synchronized with the changes that have evolved my thoughts. For too long the writing on these pages has slowed and withered like retired grandfather. Old photos hint of a once youthful, energetic, glowing man and a wit that hints at the mind that still thinks it is as young. So much of my mental torment and curiosity went in to the many, many pages that fill this virtual world. And so much of it came in the few years just out of college.  Those days have passed and my life has given me new perspectives built on things I’ve learned in writing here and living the default American life.

The world is very quickly and reluctantly changing its perspective. The consequences of our poor planning and willful shortsightedness on top of an appalling lack of responsibility on the part of our governments, financial institutions, and citizens are beginning to set in. The weakest are the first to feel the crunch as they don’t have the slack to withstand the fluctuations. The problems coming are broader than that. Not one person will come out of this unscathed and the most important thing we can do is plan for the difficult road ahead. I feel that even the most well planned is going to see their routines and perspectives altered. Perhaps my pessimism ignores ingenuity and revolutionary policy change, or even subtle changes, that might keep the downward slope from disappearing off the chart. Or perhaps this great frontier potentially before us (figuratively, of course) is indeed as seemingly endless as I perceive; and possibly greater for the things I cannot see. All I know is that I have never seen the powers that be do anything without a corrupting influence skewing the eventual outcome. But there is so much more to say.

The new ExistentialTension.com is coming as a response to the mounting pressure I feel to understand what the future holds and how to deal with it in the present. The site will be a blend of my photography and writing in the hope that I can utilize my two web sites to put something interesting out there. I anticipate a slow start but I hope to be more productive than either site has been for the last few years. The lull in literary productivity around here was in large part due to comfort and that is quickly eroding.

Continue on to the old ExistentialTension.com and keep your eyes pealed for the sequel.

--Mark