DO YOU WONDER WHY?

   Have you ever paged through a newspaper or magazine, read an investigatory type of book and when finished, find yourself left in a worse fog than had been there prior to the reading?  Do you find yourself wondering how the hell the situation involved ever grew into such proportions? Or, conversely, why had no one ever paid attention to this prior to it becoming such a monster of alarming proportions and of fewer answers as to solutions?  

I find this especially so when one can trace back the initial kernels of the matter, as it was reported and raised to public scrutiny and/or as it was mainly ignored. Has it ever hit you as to the unfairness and the inequality, the lack of proportional response, the utter disregard of the matter and all relating to the nations involved. Size. Power and importance. Economic standing. History and location. 

Have you then never questioned the possibility or the lack of possibility that one day humanity will ever get it straight?   Understand that fairness, equality, and attention must not be a matter of uniqueness, but rather of commonality. Of the necessity of using equal elbow grease in solving the matter before the tiny grows to massive, and the consequences grow unmanageable, to truly unfortunate proportions for too long a time. Sometimes, never to be fully resolved, always remaining a burr under the saddle of mankind. Unfortunately, I am not too optimistic of this turnaround ever happening, certainly not in my lifetime. And that is just about one of the saddest things that I can think, for it bodes no good for civilization. Not at all. 

This morning, waiting in yet another doctor's office, I read an entire page article re the slaughter of civilians in Ukraine via drones of Russia, working ever so hard to reanimate the Russian Empire and sanctioning the slaughter of civilians - and the world - sshhsshhsshh. See, hear and speak no evil for Russia is powerful, and never mind its gross invasion into an integral nation and its definitely waged war upon civilians, along with its war crimes in dealing with its soldier captives. But ssssshhhh. Russia.

On the other hand. We have Israel, the nation, which "knocks” on the roof to warn inhabitants to leave. Or which risks the lives of Israeli soldiers in order to enable the delivery of food program into Gaza. Even as they deal with the ambushing by Hamas individuals who need those foodstuffs greatly to sell on the black market, or to stock their own wares in their hideaways remaining.  Shall we mention the hostages? Kidnapped. Taken away, dead. Nearly dead. Killed in captivity, tortured. Threatened. Used as pieces on the chess board. As compared to the prisoners held in Israel. Who actually have the right to attend school, to get college degrees, master's degrees. 

And the "innocent" civilians who cheered the "victories" of Hamas, the torture and demeaning, dehumanization of hostages, the abuse of children -even unto brutal murder. Where are the acclaims for Israelis who fight for peace even as their loved ones are on the battlefields, keeping them safe. Or are held captive, who will never return other than to be buried and even that is uncertain.  

Where are the declaimers of errors in history? Who refused to refute the ignorant cries of claims against a genocide conducted by Israel. No one in Israel calls for the demise of each and every single Arab. Of every member of Hamas. Every citizen of Gaza. The only ones whose voices are calling for the complete slaughter from end to end, to the last one, are those of Hamas, those who support Hamas on the corners and streets and avenues of nations of the world. Why? Because it is obviously of no big matter. Kill Jews, you hear. Kill one there. Kill 1000 there, kill a million over there. It's all the same. At the very least, Israel generally agrees to have an investigation into whatever claim is presented and change procedures if necessary.  

No, the situations are clearly treated in unequal manner. In Israel and in Ukraine. And in all the nations of the world where one segment is waging war upon another. Where lives are of no value. And standard pictures of starvation of collateral damage, of hollow-eyed women and children are paraded through all media facets with no resultant outcry. Mind you - those clear indicators of starvation are nowhere in sight in Gaza, despite all the claims otherwise. 

I leave it to you to figure out. I leave it to you the younger, those already in seats of power and the young beginning their careers. Remember your humanity. Remember your joint responsibility to   the peoples of this world. Remember we share this planet, and all have the same fate upon it.  To work on this problem and be better at it than the elders were. 

We, the elderly of the world, those who are in seats of power have betrayed the trust that was entrusted to us. The leaders of the world are mostly unworthy of their positions, using them only to enhance their own power and wealth. That includes the leaders of most, if not all, of the current leaders of the nations of the world. Including, especially including those of the United States of America. They are either incompetent and/or afraid of even the shadow of the Orange Man, the crypto peddler who stumbles and falls but never is called to task.   

Selfishness rules the day, and we and the planet suffer for it.  Would that we could change it.      Would we even if we could?

Doubtful. At least at this point.

The ugliness of yesterday rather than its gifts.

The threats of today rather than action upon avenues of progress.    

 The worst visions for tomorrows directly ahead driven by our deeds and misdeeds. 

Where does it end? Does it end?

Beats me.