It's Better in Cartoonland

It is easy to get a bit depressed nowadays. The economy is still in the crapper, we still have people in countries we never knew existed fighting pointless battles, and, across the nation, "Full House" reruns continue to be broadcast.

Why, oh, why can't life be like it was in the black and white cartoons of the Thirties?! Produced in the depths of The Depression, these cartoons were chock-full of sunshine and glee! There were no real plots to speak of, just a bunch of isolated incidents (to call them "gags", or "jokes" would be generous) set to a bouncy tune. Why can't we live like that?!

Imagine: You wake up bouncing rhythmically to some popular tune, hop out of bed, and interact with everything in your house, which, thanks to the laws of cartoon logic, are amorphically alive! Your coffee pot pours you a cup, while singing a happy "Good Morning!", to you. Your stoves flips you out a big stack of flapjacks, and starts singing. Then all the other household appliances, nearby critters, and maybe even passersby and neighbors join in. What a great way to start the day!

Of course, in cartoons, just as in life, some conflict would arise (i.e. A big peg legged guy would try to steal your girlfriend). However, within six minutes it would be easily resolved, and you would iris out on another happy musical number.

The above scenario sure beats getting up, screaming at the kids, scrambling everyone out of the house, spending a day at work dealing with nit-wits and then coming home to a microwave dinner.

Unfortunately, we don't live in Cartoonland, so we have to make do. Perhaps we can't sing and dance all day, and our microwaves can't carry a tune, but we can make the world a slightly more pleasant place for those around us. Just treat everyone around you as you would like to be treated.  That would be a start.

Also, bounce around to a musical beat a lot!