Oh, Life

I find myself starting to sing R.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion" quite a lot these days, because as the title here says... I find myself thinking "oh... life" fairly regularly.  Because, man... life.  Oh... life.

I thought it the other night after a long conversation with Jason around some of the things that are going on in our country right now and when I thought of "Oh, Life" and the rest of the lyrics in that song I thought it might be apropos of what's going on for a lot of folks right now.  Losing the "religion" of faith in your fellow countrymen... losing the "religion" of faith in, I don't know, the media?  The government?  That we are told the truth?  Losing the "religion" of feeling close to friends and co-workers, feeling like you had shared understanding of life and how to exist in it.

Covid has shaken us up in so many uncomfortable ways, and the extreme, horrific politicization of it by the former president of that neighbouring country and then the ripples of that hate and polarization of this illness spreading and spreading and leading us to these places of no longer having faith.  In... something.  Safety?  I can't speak for people who aren't me, I can only guess.  But it did make me think... how many people right now are going through some sort of existential crisis from this pandemic and the length of time we've now been dealing with it.  Even if you don't believe it in, even if you think it's a lie or the vaccines are I don't even know what.  Even if you think it's just a cold and whatever else, it's still been a long two years of it.  No matter your opinion or beliefs about it.

Oh life is bigger
It's bigger than you
And you are not me
The lengths that I will go to
The distance in your eyes
Oh no I've said too much
I set it up

 

That's me in the corner
That's me in the spot-light
Losing my religion
Trying to keep up with you
And I don't know if I can do it
Oh no I've said too much
I haven't said enough

 

I thought that I heard you laughing
I thought that I heard you sing
I think I thought I saw you try

 

Every whisper, of every waking hour
I'm choosing my confessions
Trying to keep an eye on you
Like a hurt, lost and blinded fool, fool
Oh no I've said too much
I set it up

 

Consider this
Consider this the hint of the century
Consider this the slip
That brought me to my knees, failed
What if all these fantasies come
Flailing around
Now I've said too much

 

I thought that I heard you laughing
I thought that I heard you sing
I think I thought I saw you try

 

But that was just a dream
That was just a dream

 

That's me in the corner
That's me in the spot-light
Losing my religion
Trying to keep up with you
And I don't know if I can do it
Oh no I've said too much
I haven't said enough

 

I thought that I heard you laughing
I thought that I heard you sing
I think I thought I saw you try

 

But that was just a dream
Try, cry, fly, try
That was just a dream
Just a dream
Just a dream, dream