In case the message has not gotten through, well, I am confused. And despairing. And worried. And pessimistic. And wondering just where the hell my world went. What has happened to cause this strange new world of ours? Wherefore and whence have the rules of society changed and ipso facto, a new world certainly confusing to us old folks. Nor do we like change, so, well, the whole mess is confusing.
Wondering what all the confusion refers to? Simply stated, it is a new philosophy, or rather not so new, but new in our society, when values are turned aside, changed drastically, or simply trashed. No, not the holding of doors for women or getting up from a seat in a crowded bus or train. No, what I refer to is the value chart of life. You know, where there is loyalty to one's country, where we can trust the president and the legislators and the Supreme Court to mostly function properly. Where the interests of the people will be taken into account, that rules will be followed, that certainly, the political leaders will not turn on their country and become yes, traitors! Outright traitors, no matter how far and fast they try to run now in their search for a clock to turn back.
However, one cannot change what was done. All one can do is try to fix it. That requires, upfront and personal, the admission to oneself and the public that oh boy, a huge goof was made. HUGE. Many goofs. That fix, particularly in this case, America circa early 21st century, is a difficult task, almost Sisyphean in categorization, and yet, we must try for if not, we are giving up, giving in to the spoilers in our midst. We are rewarding crooked behavior, allowing the rot and its stench to dominate all.
I believe what has me most confused is the almost total change of order within our most valued and trusted institutions, the ones that we rely on to keep us on an even keel, steering the ship of state into safe waters rather than abandoning it, to founder and sink, even as they transfer to a new ship of state already floundering, already failing in its responsibilities. It left the shipyard already damaged, and the question here is - can we survive with this faulty ship? Can we keep afloat, stable enough to withstand all threats to our nation, or have we already been committed to the depths, and we merely need wait, just a bit, till it all becomes clear, even to the most extreme deniers of reality.
Today, politics has become a blood sport - literally. It appears to me that one's political beliefs are set in stone, feet encased in cement blocks, as we either sink or swim, against all possibilities of survival, and splash around, all for naught. The die is cast. The storm is upon us. The security institutions have turned on their values, cheated, lied, neglected the nation for the one or the few. Flags are used as disguises, to serve, bared in public, as staves of death rather than true pride and patriotism.
The lies rain down upon us, straining the capacity of the ship to remain afloat, even as frantic bailing begins, unfortunately with leaky buckets. I look at the ugly shouting, hate filled, blood lust infected faces of insurrectionists, trying to overthrow my country, negate the efforts of those who have believed in the American dream. And I am afraid. And despairing and confused.
How have we allowed one man do this to us. How and why have we enabled this man to engender a hostile climate, permanently dangerous seas, use fear, temper tirades, and pure dangerous madness. He has turned this country in upon itself, so much so that even if and when we try to land, we will simply cannibalize from within, become dry land sharks. No ports of safety and haven. No safety anywhere. Not anymore. We have given it away. Lock, stock, and barrel.
Why have we allowed religious extremism to gnaw away at our values of separation of church and state. Why have we turned the pro-choice debate into a debate at all! It is not about pro or anti-abortion. We have allowed it to become so, to be termed so. It is about rights, plain and simple. The right to make decisions for ourselves, the right to have rights. To be equal. To be respected - and that is for men as well as women. The right not to be forced to carry a damaged fetus full term, even if dead in the womb, to endanger a mother, to turn backs and hearts on victims of rape and incest, to ignore the needs of living children, social, emotional, educational, the right to be food secure. The right of a woman to decide her own needs, to control her body and her fate. It is pro rights vs. anti-rights. Simple - yet so entangled that we have lost sight of the truth.
We have lost much. We have self-damaged. It is now an uphill battle, but we can do it if we remember who we are, who we are meant to be, return to America, the true America, the one whose doors are open to those in need, who are seeking what we ourselves, our ancestors have sought. We can do it, but time is growing short, the ship is falling behind in bailing and there is no help from outside, only within.
It is up to us to save us.
"Carpe diem quam minimum credula postero.
Seize the day, trusting as little as possible in the future."
Let us seize the day so we can trust in the future.
Our future.
America's future.
The future for and of our descendants.
No comments:
Post a Comment