Author: Gary Beck Source: https://www.polseguera.com/writers/writing-478_transitions.html Transitions Gary Beck/Transitions   Do As I Say Primitive man didn't understand the nature of the universe and developed superstitions when answers were needed to make sense of life. When tribes gave way to church and state the new leaders promptly took charge of ignorant fears and substituted faith in the current rulers for simple explanations, leaving us to digest designated confusion.   Age Old Story Politics goes on, business as usual for those of us who can participate, while the disadvantaged, those who watched bank bailouts while their homes were foreclosed, just like the oppressed in any other age mostly suffering in silence, while the wealthy revel.   Cold Notice A chill wind pokes at people, rudely reminding us with shivering bodies to put on sweaters.   Rest Stop The days are still warm. We still go outdoors lightly clad, but migrating birds heading south pause in the city for nourishment, then fly off, another sign we do not notice, summer is over.   The Age of Glibness We don't know who invented civilization, abandoning nature, but it was a dramatic change from a simple life, hunting, gathering that made things better for some, worse for others. We don't know who invented religion, but it was a drastic change from invoking nature that confused some, changed things for others. The growing scope of human endeavors fostered bigger cities, bloodier wars, clever intellectuals telling us everything, sincere philosophers explaining everything, serious economists calculating everything, slick politicians corrupting everything, dedicated scientists inventing everything. But no one asks were we better off twelve thousand years ago before the rise of cities complicated existance.   An unpublished collection: 'Do As I Say, 'Age Old Story', 'Cold Notice', 'Rest Stop', 'The Age of Glibness'. 'Transitions' looks at the rapid and gradual changes taking place in our society.