By now, most readers know the mariner is influenced by three alter egos: Chicken Little, a character quick to feel that the world is in crisis and no one will help; Prophet Amos, a character with distinct disapproval of the ways of human beings, chastising irresponsibility on every front; Guru, a way-out thinker who becomes lost in ethereal pondering and cannot fathom that Homo sapiens still exists. Reality and the Cosmos are so much larger than the self serving indulgence of human beings that the whole Earthly mess is just an insignificant phenomenon – an indifferent event on a Solar System planet drifting somewhere in the Milky Way Galaxy.

There are other influences, primarily interpersonal alertness, an appreciation of tasteless humor, and an accumulation of experiences across a lifetime.

Concentrate all these egos and experience into a very short timeframe surrounded by incompetence and disregard for very important social activity, and the mariner becomes depressed. What Chicken Little, Amos and Guru find significant is irrelevant to the masses, to friends and neighbors. No doubt, depression is common among many during election time.

With eight Presidential candidates remaining, mariner fears the worst. None qualify in his mind to deal with the plight of American humanity – indeed all of humanity. His acquaintances, who by and large are bright, insightful people, do not feel the need to respond to crisis, irresponsibility, or endangered culture; it is enough to vote their preferred person (likely limited to their own political party) while disregarding the fact that democracy has all but disappeared and, given our candidate choices, will continue to disappear.

There’s always the millennials who still trust in unbridled dreams of the future. But Amos does not buy this; they are just young Homo sapiens – same as their ancestors. Further, by 2100, the African continent alone will grow 6 billion more humans adding to gross overcrowding and further disintegration of the Earth’s biosphere.

All this aside, which is the best candidate of a poor lot? Mariner has great difficulty deciding – knowing that the great issues of his alter egos will go untended no matter the choice. We must turn to small victories of great importance: Can the voters replace a 1985 Congress with one that can function in 2016? Amos has his doubts.

Ancient Mariner