A MOMENT

     There comes a time in a person's life that is called a moment. Whitney Houston sang about it in an award winning song. It is during that 'moment' that decisions are made, events happen, an indelible mark is made upon a person's soul. Often, it is a before and after moment, but many times it is only in thinking back that we realize that we had a moment and can trace our after the moment life to it. Do you recognize yours? And remember, there can be more than one moment in a lifetime.
     This past week has been a watershed of moments, or perhaps a moment separated into segments. Not sure, but I do know that a breaking point was reached and I am clear in my mind that people have got to choose. People have to stop making excuses, or going back to predecessors and their issues, for that is not the point. One can argue a nun's school or Thomas Jefferson or FDR, but they are gone and we are and must live with the present and deal with the echoes of the past as they affect the present and most important, the future, long and short term. We can neither fix nor change the past, but we can certainly change its impact upon us now.
     Could be confusing, yes, but the times demand a clarity of thinking, for if not, we are lost. Ironically, it is one of the most difficult of times to think clearly, even dispassionately, for so strong are the events and the emotions they provoke. There is often no escape from the tensions and the demands of the times. The latest books are rife with parallels to real life. TV and cable, more so than movies, for the former is more accessible to the many, echo the passions and issues we now have and the very grave concerns for the existential future of us all.
     Yes, we can refuse to read and watch and hear and listen and even witness, but like it or not we cannot escape it. It is life. Period. We need to deal with it. When a late nite show host says "This was a heartbreaking weekend of unspeakable tragedy and yet one that disturbingly feels all too familiar,"   then we had better pay attention. When TV figures, show hosts, become the arbiters of the morality of society, we are in trouble. Why does it take a Seth Meyers to say this: "This is a moment that demands moral clarity and urgency from our political leaders, and he was not the only one. But the true question and concern is - why the hell have our so called leaders abandoned their responsibilities in this area?  Not only that, but why? Our moments are coming down the chute almost without a break and we are becoming overwhelmed, beginning to feel helpless in the face of all this and that is a most dangerous trend.
     Today is the age of demagogues. It was thought that perhaps we had gone beyond that stage, but evidently not. So the moments of power grabs are found both  here and all over the world. The benighted thinking of this class of people is profoundly dangerous, hostile to a welcoming and nourishing atmosphere that growth, positive growth, requires. Yet, this is what one mayor stated: "That's the danger of somebody with a platform and audience"   and she is so right.
     Of late, I have been trying to binge on the last season of Orange is the New Black and yet I cannot. I must split it into two episodes at a time for so powerful are the presentations, the emotions, the issues, the acting and our emotional entanglement with these characters as we have followed the show through its many seasons. 
     What makes it so powerful, so emotional, so tissue necessary and anger and despair so present is the fact that what is presented here is what is presented in real life. We see the hideousness of children who cannot understand what is happenening being asked if they have a lawyer, helped onto chairs that are too large for them. We see the twisted reasoning that rips families apart, the new blood and power of minds that we carelessly and meanly throw out, chasing people back to lands where they face death and hopelessness. We see the humanity of incarcerated people, for yes, they are people, and while there are some truly bad and dangerous people in there, many are not, are capable of reformation and productive life if only we gave people a chance.
     But instead of programs that would prevent many of these crimes, instead of programs after the fact, in penal reform, in post release aid to prevent recidivism, we take the pocket road, the road of making money off the misery of others, of cheaping everything out, of a growing callousness towards others, and a greed that is devouring us all.
    So yes, there are moments. We need to recognize them, even belatedly. I certainly have had a moment here, cannot figure out exactly when or where or perhaps it was an accumulation of emotions and a barrage of inhumane behavior on the part of our government, of the mouth of hatred of Trump, of the growing violence, the growing anarchy of society. So I read and I watched and I thought, and I had enough. I will add, I decided, my puny efforts, and hope that somehow, somewhere they make a difference. 
     Think of your recent moments. Think of your families, and remeber that they are no different than the families asking for asylum. We could all be there at any time in this cruel world. Then go out and do something. There should be the young out there as well, not only we retread 60's protesters. It should be the adults out there for it is the future of their children at stake. All of us should be there; it is the very existence of our country, as it should be, as it is meant to be, at stake.
     A leopard cannot change its spots. We hopefully have all learned the lessons that we cannot change the partner in life after union or marriage. We need to know that we must change the attitude of the politicians, reject those who cannot or will not change for the better and get some new thinking in there. Elect those we know will dothe right thing, have a  heart rather than a cash register inside them. Out with the new nepotism and cronyism. Out with the  greed for individuals, the enriching of their bank accounts at the public troughs.
     Enact real laws with teeth to them, Red flag laws are talking about people who already have guns and in the states with them, the productive efforts and results are very weak. We need to stop the guns from getting into the wrong hands in the first place. We need to wake up!!!!
      A moment. We all need at least one. Or perhaps multiple moments. Whatever it takes to get us back on the right track. Found yours yet? Recognized and accepted it?