At times like this, when the truth gets me down, I try to zoom out a little and get a bigger picture.

Let's see.... 60 million years ago, dinosaurs roamed the earth. Then something bad happened, and suddenly they were gone. Bad for dinosaurs that is, but definitely good for us humans who don't have to worry about velociraptors every time we step out of the truck.

Eventually something like that will happen to us, probably sooner than it did with the dinosaurs, but life itself will continue. My money's on the bears as the next stage of evolution. They have a skeleton similar to ours, in fact they can stand up and walk around like we do when they're in the mood. They also have the beginning of an opposed thumb, which is pretty useful.

Best of all, they're very smart - smarter than dolphins actually. How do I know this? Well, both bears and dolphins can balance a ball on their nose, right? But have you ever seen a dolphin riding a bicycle? I rest my case.

So the future's not that bad after all. You just need a broader perspective on things.

ebear