Maybe we got it from the British, that old notion of muddling through. I taught political science at the college level for well over 30 years, and I still don't know exactly what that means. Here's my take on it, for what it's worth. Democracy is clumsy and often inefficient, and sometimes the only way you can get anything done in a society like ours is to muddle through, to limp along, to just get by and be done with it. Hardly anyone gets their way in politics and government because democracy forces upon us something we're still not artful at doing - compromise. Want a close up look at how that works? It's on display right now in Washington, state capitols, courthouses, and city halls all over the country.
I broke a leg when I was a kid and have had a limp ever since. It was just a slight limp at first, but the older I get, the more pronounced the limp gets. These days, and with the onset of joint problems, the limp is a pesky problem. I live with it just like I live with doing what most Americans do - limp along, just get by, make ends meet, and go from day to day along a highway of life that always seems to be uphill. It's the American way, and it's not altogether bad. Like a physical limp, it's pesky and irritating at times. I put up with the physical limp because I'm still walking, still getting from one place to another, and that's what counts. I'm not just sitting there, and that makes life tolerable. When it gets right down to it, perhaps the limp serves me well because it keeps me from moving too fast . . . and we all want to go fast. Going slow allows you time to look around, pay attention, and maybe learn something. You miss a lot going fast.
I try hard to pay attention to what's going on in the society around me. I watch other people, so I'm aware that most people around me are also hard up against it sometimes. Life presents everyone with speed bumps, detours, and a whole helluva lot of little irritating chuckholes. And you can't just run through them; you've got to deal with them, and that means slowing down. Some folks like me call that slowing down process limping along. I hear quite about of talk about the fast pace of life, and most people tend to think that's America. We're the right now society, but that's mostly in our heads. Yeah, we want to get there in a hurry, but that usually doesn't happen. Our system just isn't set up to go fast.
Lack of money is a speed bump for some, or if you're lucky, maybe it's just a chuckhole. With me, it's often a detour, and sometimes it's a roadblock. I have a steady income, and I get bills paid. I don't really have a budget. My way of doing things is to start the race fast, then limp to the finish. In other words, I pay bills early, and then I quit spending money until more comes in. Sound familiar? Even if you carefully budget your monthly spending, you're still limping along. Don't worry about it. You might not be living the American dream, but you're sure living the American way. I'm not convinved that you can run down a dream, but you might be able to limp your way there.
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