Crickets From The Industrial Powers

It's been 24 hours since I agreed to a self-initiated truce with the industrial powers.

In that time, much like the half hour of silence in the book of Revelation, 8:1, very little has happened. Except a little silence is nice once in a while. For me, the truce has given me some important time out, time to reflect on some of the other things in life.

I've used the 24 hours for several things. I went and got something to eat. All this time I've been taking my notepad and writing down thoughts and ideas about industry, the industrialists, the industrial section of town, and the industrial powers who run it all. Today I left the notepad home and just sat there eating. (Long John Silver's). Frankly, I didn't know what to do with my hands, except to pick up my Fish 'n' More. I looked around and noted that no one else had a notepad. So what I was doing by not writing in one was actually normal.

I watched a little TV. I tuned in the local channel to see if there was any report on my truce. Of course there wasn't. The so-called "journalists" in my town are hopeless. I've noticed there's a definite pattern: The radio station depends on the newspaper, and the newspaper depends on the radio station. They report back and forth the same news, which initially appears on one or the other ... no one knows how. Really, though, it'd seem like a major truce would warrant at least a mention. Like this, "Local Man Lets Up On Industry," then a few of the details, like where I went out to eat today.

As far as hearing from anyone, the industrial powers themselves -- who weren't shy about dog-piling on me a month or so ago -- I haven't heard a peep. It's been nothing but crickets. It seems like they'd show some kind of relief. They were demanding an apology out of me for a month or so, which they'll never get. A truce, it seems, would be at least a step in the right direction from their point of view. But there's been nothing.

So who knows? Maybe it's a positive thing, maybe not. Maybe I'll stick to it, maybe I won't. I just want to see what the next few days bring.

What would be a good faith sign from the industrial powers back at me? They could see my positive gesture, then decide to suspend all their operations. If they didn't do that completely, which would be asking a lot, maybe they could cut an entire shift. Or maybe they could close down three days a week. The silence would be welcome in my town, I'm sure of it, which hasn't had a wink of sleep in decades.