Gave Truth To The Night?
You know the story.
The bully in the playground has always existed. Through history we slayed dragons, lions, other humans, and everything else in sight. America began with stolen land, people and animals broken by force. Don’t think twice, it’s alright.
We point fingers, if only we got rid of that politician. But, can we face up – we humans have kept violence and greed going too long. We are an edgy, passive-aggressive, self-centered species. As Creedence Clearwater’s John Fogerty sang, “Take a look at yourself.”
The grit work for us is taking responsibility for our collective messes, the shootings, unfair money distribution, ridiculous tax laws. You know the story. This is your land, this is my land. How do we contribute to the chaos? We avoid looking at ourselves because it’s humiliating for the ego. Behaving differently, doing something for a better world, ends up at the bottom of our “to do” list.
So, we line our streets with gigantic trucks and SUV’s. (Backing out next to them in my little Toyota is like maneuvering a minefield.) Then people buy empty houses and travel. Some visit Auschwitz in Europe to face the cruelty humanity is capable of. You have to go a long way to see what we have done. America has whitewashed most of it.
Wow – the fourth of July is upon us. It’s a party, a celebration, 250 years since the Declaration was written. So, what do we do? We light the sky with fireworks that terrify deer, raccoons and squirrels. The bullet sounds send dogs flying into the night, skittish in the traffic and thorny bushes. They are lucky if they survive it and aren’t hit by the bright blue luminary lights of speeding trucks. It’s a holiday reminding us of our heritage. Maybe those locked in detention prisons will hear the sounds of bombs bursting in air.
Am I bitter? Yes. Seeing Elon become a zillionaire, backing his cronies, sends me flying, fight and flight responses throbbing, half naked down the street, along with the scared animals. After all, I sang “Give peace a chance” through my youth. WTF? But, venting is not what we need now. It’s time to drop our powerlessness and get busy doing good.
Robert Reich recommends: “Taxing great wealth, busting up monopolies, strengthening labor unions, raising the minimum wage, demanding profit-sharing and capital-sharing, ensuring Medicare for all, universal basic income, and getting big money out of politics.” (Eighty F*ckng Years Old? Robertreich subtack.com or facebook6/24/26.)
We could also bring serenity to our town on the fourth of July, like they do in parts of Europe. Fireworks light up the sky without the gunshot roars, instead with the sounds of silence. I think it’s time we stop, children, what’s that sound?
What might we each do to ensure freedom and liberty for all? How about a thousand people in the street, singing songs and carrying signs? Prop up a mailbox for your neighbor. Or, we, the people, could demand more classes in school for understanding the roots of rage and how to heal it, learning critical thinking and conflict resolution skills. Inventions happen. What would we have done without the light bulb?
What are you called to do? We might join coalitions for the common good, write letters, contact officials and citizens, attend community meetings, deliver food, foster animals, offer lower pricing or sliding scales for your services, propose do-able next steps for housing and economic equality, eliminate and insist on inspections of “detention” centers, donate to Amy Goodman or this newspaper. I don’t care what you do, just do it, tell me something good.
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