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[bhikkhu]

224. After 8 years of a right-wing bush regime, 2008 was quite a change

I know exactly what you mean, though I never had a good term for it. It was easy to drink too much and smoke too much and complain too much, and plan very little for the future because it was looking pretty bleak - everything going in the wrong direction. Eight years of that was rough, and then there was a very conscious thoughtful moment when it looked like Obama could really win - what would I do different if things really turned around, if there were a real future to work toward?

For myself, I quit smoking and drinking, and started bicycling to work, and finished a bunch of professional certifications toward a better job. I'd say I became a better person, and I largely stopped complaining. If society can rehabilitate in a good direction, then I want to be a part of making that stronger, rather than continuing to gnaw away at the foundations.