I'm not concerned about the Zika virus, at least not yet. But I have had an issue with a particular mosquito for the last six weeks. He, she, it, has been feasting on my arms as I take an afternoon snooze in the lazy boy. The room is large, but I figured that I could kill the little mother if I was just diligent enough. It knows enough not to land on my arm when I am awake, and I have momentarily seen it flitting around the room, but always it disappears into the background.
This story is bigger than the mosquito. Life is full of the itch you can't scratch, the trip never completed, the opportunity just out of reach. We want to be in control of our little world, but it seems the world is almost always in control of us, frequently in a negative way. How do we find a smidgen of peace in a world where the damn mosquito just won't die on our terms?
Some look for peace by avoiding the world altogether; get thee to a nunnery, monastery or just camp out in your basement with eighteen hours worth of video games (you can sleep the other six). There is a potpourri of drugs which can give you a sliver of peace until you crash back into the real world (if the drugs don't kill you first. Goodnight, sweet Prince). Family can provide peace until Uncle Frank goes off the rails at Thanksgiving and insults his unwedded pregnant niece. Or Dad or Mom tells you they are getting a divorce because they never really could stand their spouse, and this new flame of theirs will meet all their needs.
Marx famously said that, "Religion is the opiate of the masses." Only lunkheads and Luddites would fall for it. Intelligent, rational people, will never be sucked in by religious mumbo jumbo. Why is it then that so many folks who have a strong spiritual center, who believe in God, find actual long term peace in their lives? Could it be that investing in something much bigger than yourself creates a sense of wholeness and a better understanding of your place in the universe? God is in control, so we don't always have to be.
I wish I could say that I was able to vanquish the mosquito and thus achieve a victory in this small area of my life. However, though I haven't been bitten in a few days, the little bugger is probably out there, hovering, waiting to partake of my O positive blood. But, the world is still turning; the seasons change. I will head for the lazy boy and dream of the first rains on the Serengeti.