Saturday, June 02, 2018

Peas on Earth

Peas on Earth by Emily Rabbit some time ago


In my lifetime I have never seen racism in the United States so blatant as it now presents itself. The U.S. President is racist by every standard and he incites his followers--his base--to apologetically push aside and condemn decent people who are non-white. In the early 1970's when I lived in Germany I asked my German friends how their parents and grandparents could have allowed Hilter to systematically persecute and murder Jewish citizens and families. The answer was "they were too afraid to speak out."

Being "too afraid" is not what I am witnessing now. I'm not even sure what to call it: white supremacy, resentment, fear? Perhaps, but at its core there is a heartlessness that refuses to accept that helping people in need is a core value of being a good human being. And because the actions of my government on immigration are especially so disturbing, I find myself asking over and over:

With all our advancements in technology and science, why have human beings not evolved in compassion and cooperation? 

Why do we still fight each other? Why are we at a point where even a family seeking refuge from harm or poverty is viewed as a threat, unworthy of help? Why is male aggression still so dominant? Mothers--women--bring up these little boys who become arrogant men and use power uncharitably: why has feminine influence and evolution not brought sensitivity and kindness into the fabric of our DNA?  (I know this is not all men. But masculine dominance is always found at the core of our world conflicts.)

There is plenty of discussion about what will happen to America once Donald Trump the man and president is gone. That day will come but I don't know what then. I'm truly shocked that almost 40% of my fellow Americans are willing to look the other way while racist treatment of non-white people is clear as ice. The economy, the stock market, jobs--yes, of course we support growth and opportunity. But is that really what's happening? Because what I see is an American Super Bully closing out anyone who dares to pursue inclusion and commonality.

Donald Trump won't stand. But I have to wonder what comes next. Not just in my country, but in our world. Will we ever have true peace on earth? And Jesus, I ask, why the fuck not?

Love
kj

15 comments:

  1. It makes me feel sick to my stomach and anxious. We need to be and can be better human beings.

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    1. Deb, The era of Strongmen autocrats and tyrants has begun. I pray pray pray we’re morally ready.
      Love
      kj

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  2. We have to do what we can, as much as each person can give and be a beacon of light and hope to people in our communities, towns and neighborhoods. Just always try to be the light.
    Biggest hug to you <3

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    1. Val💜
      So perfectly said. I love hearing from you so much.
      Love
      kj

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  3. I know of no time in history where there has been peace on earth. Sad but true. But recently the bar of compassion and civility has been set so low, I can only hope that we have reached the proverbial bottom of the barrel and have no where to go but up.

    I am an eternal optimist.

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    1. 8, I don’t think it’s bottomed yet. Scary. But also i’ll Bet you and I know more good people by far than people who lack decency
      Love
      kj

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  4. It's worrying for the rest of the world too.

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    1. Kay, it’s hard to grasp one man could do what’s diabolically doing.
      LovE
      kj

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  5. I think about these issues quite a lot. No answers but I keep thinking, looking for answers, examing my own mind and upbringing. I also worry about the future of our country. I am listening to a WWII book to try to understand history and to understand a madman’s mind is tough. Something is wrong lately - something is brewing; and it’s worrying.

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    1. Mim, I believe Trump is a kind of madman. The way he works the crowd, how he charms, how he attacks—is fine tuned and he knows what he’s doing. If he governed with a moral compass, I think his style could get some things done. But because he lacks a moral compass, we’re in trouble. His narcissism is dangerous. Sad to say I state this as fact, not opinion 😢
      Love kj

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  6. This is true all over the world kj… In India, we have a single country, yet people view themselves as tribes, language, not Indians. People who don't share the same tribe are called "outsiders" in their own country.

    We are 7 billion and growing. The Earth is not growing. So Adam Smith's classic Economics problem - the distribution of resources, is at the core of the issue.

    And while we need to worry about the macro events, we also need to protest the micro injustices that happen and we look the other way. Funny enough, I was thinking along the same lines after reading about communal clashes in yet another part of India. And if we start to ask Why, we can reach the reasons and hopefully, get rid of them.

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  7. I wish I knew. It's appalling, it's horrifying, it's beyond my comprehension. We have sunk to a level I thought I'd never see.

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  8. I too wonder what will happen when Trump is gone because surely, much of his harm will live on after him.

    "The answer was "they were too afraid to speak out.'"

    Maybe they just said this to save face, it being easier to admit to fear than to having done what the German nation did.

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  9. I didn't have the time to express myself well. What I meant to say about "saving face" was that it's easier to feel sympathy for people who are afraid to speak out (not just for themselves but for the harm that would come to their loved ones), as it is to sympathize with people who buy into the idea that society can be made better through brutality. As you know, I was a teenager in Mississippi during the Civil Right's era in the 1960s, and I well remember that the hatred of "race traitors" far exceeded that which was shown to black people who stood up for their rights. I assume the situation would have been far worse for "traitors" in Nazi Germany because the masses of white people in the Deep South never abandoned every last shred of decency and restraint. If it had been otherwise, far more people would have been killed. I've heard it said that, after the war, it was hard to find a single German who admitted to being a Nazi or even knowing what the Nazis stood for.

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