Trying to get back on my morning schedule today.

OK, so first the Boy Scouts decided you could be a Boy Scout if you were gay, and then they decided that you could be a Boy Scout if you were a girl, and now they aren’t Boy Scouts anymore, they’re just Scouts. But – I think the official organization is still the Boy Scouts of America, or rather Scouts BSA, which is sort of silly. Am I right?

Who’s the loser in all of this? The Girl Scouts? I haven’t seen that the Girl Scouts are welcoming boys to join. Or that it’s even under consideration.

And then there are the question of those who are non-binary. They can be Boy Scouts to be sure, but can they be Girl Scouts? (I don’t really care about this question, by the way)

Somehow, it is clear to me that there is something wrong with this picture. It’s confused. And it’s a sign of the times.

Digression #1. I decided to make a list of the U.S. presidents who were Eagle Scouts. So I looked it up. Here is the list.

Gerald Ford

End of digression.

From the start of this post, you are probably thinking that it is going to be a post about Scouts (boys, girls or otherwise). But, no…….it is about being prepared. Because, with all of the changes, “Be Prepared” remains the motto of Scouts BSA. Unchanged.

And I am thinking about how necessary it is to be prepared. You and me.

First and foremost, we have to be prepared for a Trump victory in the 2024 presidential election.

Second, we have to be prepared for the failure of Israel to eradicate Hamas, and the loss of international respect for the Jewish state.

Thirdly, we have to be prepared for a Russian victory in Ukraine, and further Russian incursions into NATO countries at a time when Once Again President Trump wants to pull us out of NATO.

Fourthly, we have to be prepared for a total disruption of the world’s climate, leading to the collapse of power grids, the flooding of coastal areas, the drying up of vast amounts of now marginal land, and the continuing migration of desperate people from south to north.

Fifthly, we have to be prepared for …………I think I should stop here.

The thing is that we would not have to live through any of this if we just used our common sense and worked together to solve or mollify so many of the world’s problems. The only reason we can’t do this is that we are members of the human species. And, it appears, there it no getting around that. We need to embrace it.

So, for that reason, I am not trying to write a depressing post. I want us to embrace our humanity. And embracing our humanity means in part recognizing that many or most of us are irrational beings prone to believe that we are going to be saved in an afterlife, or that bad things really don’t happen to good people, or that – whatever clan or group is ours – all the other clans or groups are out to get us. Or that what happens to them won’t happen to us, and therefore it’s OK. Or that, if we can only earn enough money or garner enough riches, we and our loved ones will be just fine.

None of this is true, of course, and maybe we all know it. And it’s our reaction to knowing it that makes us act so irrationally.

But we can’t let it get to us. We must be prepared. Be prepared to let it be, because one day – soon or not – things will change again. That’s something you can bet on for sure, even if you won’t be around long enough to see it happen.

By the way, I am not saying that you should not fight against trends you think are harmful. You should. Of course. But while doing so, you have to recognize two things. One: you might lose the fight. So….be prepared. And Two: you might win the fight but lose the war. After all, there are unintended consequences to everything, as I hope we have learned by now. So….be prepared.

The Chinese are very smart (that’s a generalization that may or may not be true). We have misinterpreted some of the things they have said. For example, we think that “May you live in interesting times” is a curse. I don’t think so. I think, in fact, it’s a blessing. Embrace it.

One last thing: I give myself very good advice, but I very seldom take it. (And that has nothing to do with the Chinese.)