New Year’s Eve 2022

Hello everyone!  It’s time once again to sit by the fire with a hot beverage and listen in as Old Man Barcia ascends my soapbox for my annual New Year’s Eve rant.  Funny, I have been doing this long enough I have traveled from young-ish to the cusp of retirement age.

A book we used to read in my school was about needs versus wants, a second grade book with an obvious theme.  An interesting concept, but mostly what we need is food, water, shelter, security, medical support, and (for most) companionship.  Add in a couple of items to suit individual passions.  Each generation has developed new entries, so many that we live with an endless to-do list.  Everything needs to be done right away.  It’s disheartening to spend time on wholly unnecessary demands, our own versions of Chandler’s WENUS or Perter Gibbons’ TPS report.  Seemingly mundane tasks often require an application, new account, login, security, fees, tracking, multiple phone calls (with extensive automated menus), monitoring, logging, syncing, follow-up, a survey – and the list continues.  Even a mental break might require a form to complete.  We need to know everything about everyone, all the time, and we gather more and more clutter for shelves or storage.  Life is full of things we are told we need but really don’t.

So as we usher in 2023 I give you first a list of things we don’t always need (I use “we” as a default), then a few things we may really need from time to time.

We don’t always (or sometimes ever) need:

  1. . . . details about a celebrity’s private life
  2. . . . outrage and offense
  3. . . . to check that text right now
  4. . . . to say everything on our minds
  5. . . . most things advertised
  6. . . . to be there
  7. . . . to do it right now
  8. . . . to be available
  9. . . . to judge everything from the past based on current norms
  10. . . . another streaming service
  11. . . . constant comparisons to the Third Reich
  12. . . . to tweet dissatisfaction
  13. . . . details of the investigation
  14. . . . plastic wrapping
  15. . . . a $500 tab for a day at the ballpark
  16. . . . fake declarations of concern from companies, celebrities, and people in government
  17. . . . hate-filled political ads
  18. . . . the latest gadget
  19. . . . another gadget
  20. . . . a new and improved gadget
  21. . . . another account
  22. . . . an additional account to manage all other accounts
  23. . . . to hear it ALL the time
  24. . . . another TikTok video
  25. . . . to assume we are always right
  26. . . . to complete the survey
  27. . . . more plastic stuff
  28. . . . to get the monthly newsletter
  29. . . . spam
  30. . . . constant tracking
  31. . . . to agree
  32. . . . to disagree
  33. . . . to view disagreement as malicious
  34. . . . to apologize for a point-of-view
  35. . . . more data to tally, sort, manage, and analyze
  36. . . . to be the way someone else wants us to be
  37. . . . to act the way someone else wants us to act
  38. . . . to think the way someone else wants us to think
  39. . . . to feel the way someone else wants us to feel
  40. . . . to call it “iconic” or “epic”
  41. . . . to be concerned about how someone else chooses to live
  42. . . . to be judged and labeled by people who don’t know us
  43. . . . censorship of any kind, by anyone, from any source
  44. . . . 24-hour news, or more editorials
  45. . . . to read this (I am surprised you read this far)

Sometimes we DO need:

  1. A hug
  2. Someone to listen
  3. To hear what others are saying
  4. Time alone
  5. Time with others
  6. A break
  7. A reminder
  8. Hope
  9. Compassion
  10. A call to go our way
  11. A chance to explain
  12. A jump start for the car
  13. A few bucks more
  14. A hand getting up
  15. Fewer options (think about it)
  16. News from a different source
  17. The right song at the right time
  18. Empathy
  19. 5 more minutes
  20. Spare keys
  21. Working Wifi
  22. To catch the mug before it hits the ground
  23. The opportunity to err, which is human
  24. Forgiveness, which is divine
  25. One day more
  26. A moment
  27. The right words to say
  28. Someone else to step up
  29. A raise
  30. A good night’s sleep

Lastly, for a little fun (seriously, this is just for fun), here are some fantasy karaoke duets, because if you sing a duet together you can probably break down a lot of barriers between you and your nemesis:

  1. Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton:  I Got You Babe, by Sonny and Cher
  2. Ben Shapiro and AOC:  You’ve Got a Friend, by James Taylor
  3. Chris Rock and Will Smith:  Hit Me with your Best Shot, by Pat Benatar
  4. Clarence Thomas and Sonia Sotomayor:  Freedom of Choice, by Devo
  5. Mitch McConnell and Nancy Pelosi:  Daydream Believer, by The Monkees
  6. LeBron James and Kanye West:  Cult of Personality, by Living Colour
  7. Roseanne Barr and Rose McGowan:  Our Lips are Sealed, by the Go-Gos
  8. Gavin Newsom and Greg Abbott:  I Just Called to Say I Love You, by Stevie Wonder
  9. Ron DeSantis and Chuck Schumer:  Lean on Me, by either Bill Withers or Club Nouveau (depends on atmosphere at the moment; the Club Nouveau version would help them get the crowd going)
  10. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Ilhan Omar:  Bad Reputation, by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts

And for the finale:

  • Senate (featuring Kamala Harris):  Get Off My Cloud, by the Rolling Stones
    • House of Representatives (featuring Joe Biden):  That’s What Friends are For, by Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Gladys Knight, and Stevie Wonder

Happy New Year everyone!  Have a great 2023 – you need it!