Tough times, eh?
Layoffs by the tens of thousands.
A stock market approaching freefall, the dreaded R word, recession, being whispered in the hallowed halls of Congress, as well as Mike’s Barber Shop in Des Moines.
Deportations threatened and exercised.
The dollar weakening by the day, prices of essentials skyrocketing, homelessness increasing, need I continue?
Freedoms tossed aside, paved over like yesterday’s street grime.
And yet those aren’t the worst things to consider.
Americans seem to have lost their hope, lost their fight, and lost their way. They don’t seem to know what to do. Their foundation is crumbling, they don’t know who to turn to hell, they don’t even know which news is real and which is fake.
It truly breaks my heart to see the sadness, the fear, the insecurity all around me, which brings me to this question: what are we going to do about it?
I still vividly remember the 60’s. I’ve written about them often, the decade when I made the journey from teen to young adult. I have written how I was in awe during that decade, how it seemed like something monumental, something vital and energized, happened daily. Most times, if not all, I wrote with a sense of wonder for it really was a decade of events, of accomplishments, of firsts, and I am so grateful I came of age during those ten years.
However, lost in the reverie is the darkened view of those ten years, the assassinations, the beatings in the streets, the horrors of a war nobody seemed to want except for the Pentagon, the lost friends, the erosion of the American Dream, the shootings of college students, the hangings of blacks, the beatings of blacks, the stacked economic deck against most minorities, the protests turned violent, the fire-bombings, the first utterance of the term “mass murderer,” the explosion of the drug trade, a corrupt President, corrupt politicians, political coverups, unspeakable acts by the CIA, the disregard for the law by the FBI, the chiseling away at the Bill of Rights, at the very foundation of The Constitution.
Sound familiar?
I’m going to share with you now how my friends and I managed to graduate from the 60’s with our sanity intact.
When sadness threatened to overcome us, when anger threatened to corrupt our souls, when reality threatened to destroy all our dreams, we turned inward, to our communities, to our neighborhoods, to our friends and families, and we rebuilt our own vision of America in grassroot movements, through block parties, at community gardens, working at local aid centers. We made America great again, rebuilding it from the ground up, working together, and in so doing we remembered what it was we loved about this country from the first day of conscious thought . . . the people!
We, the people, in order to form a more perfect Union . . .
We remembered what those words meant. We did not rely on the government to explain it all to us. We did not see America through profit-stained glasses but rather through glasses which only saw one color, only recognized a standard of law which applied to every single person, gave more importance to what a person could do for the good of their community, no matter their religion, no matter their sexual preferences, no matter their economic status.
I am not saying for one moment we all lived happily ever after once 1970 rang in a new decade of promise, for we did not. I am not saying Pollyanna ruled supreme once a Presidential resignation occurred and I am not saying the vision King saw, from his mountaintop, came into clear focus.
I am simply saying we survived by relying on our friends, our family, our neighborhood, and our community.
Surely, there are those who will say these are different times, these 2020’s, and the past has no bearing on today.
I would say those people are entitled to their opinions no matter how wrong they may be.
Pax Vobiscum
Bill
Your comment, Sue, says it all. I’m not sure how I can add any other truth to what you said.
People are afraid in this country. People are angry in this country. Their leaders have sold out to the highest bidder. There is a resentment bubbling right beneath the surface in the U.S., and it won’t take much for that resentment to blow like a volcano. Fighting in the streets is certainly possible. At the very least, it will be fascinating to watch.
Love to you, dear friend
bill
As an outsider looking in Bill… Both our countries have lots of things wrong with it.. And what ever anyone does, we know it will not be righted over night. But the corruption has to stop, especially from top down big corporations and those creaming off from government funds.
If the media started reporting on the truth instead of half a story, it would help many of us both sides of the pond make more well adjusted judgements on who is right and who is wrong.
I wrote a post in Dreamwalker’s Sanctuary last week, pointing out how peoples frustrations are once again being used to divide .. Pointing fingers, blaming this and that, while not seeing they are adding to the mix of division.
As my hubby always says.. ” Those of us who live the longest, see the Most”… And I lived through the miners strikes here in England, battled on the streets.. Those in Ireland lived through their civil war and as you right say Bill, you have seen it all.
And yet at the end of the day if people want harmony and peace, and a decent life.. Then it is we, the people who have to step up and be the examples. No one is ever going to solve every problem. But we have to be prepared to meet others half way..
There isn’t one solutions fits all… But looking in from outside of USA, I would say the people in charge of these new three letter agencies are there to clear out the corruption.. And that runs very deep throughout many channels and rivers within the corporate world at large…
Before new structures are built. we have to demolish the old, and before we rebuild, the old foundations have to be cleared out and made sound.. Or it will just crumble under the same corruptions as before..
Its a task that is going to upset and enrage many. But if humanity is to survive and evolve then the crumbling has to occur.
A little like our own growth… Sometimes we need to hit rock bottom, before we realise we have to begin to pull ourselves back up. And without the experiences of rock bottom… We would never move out of the ruts..
The world is going through its transformation phase, and we are all going to be shocked at what is uncovered ..
But, if we can rebuild by holding faith and trust in each other as communities.. As we have done in the past Bill..
Then I envision a brighter future in years to come.. We may not see the end results ourselves.. But we can imprint our love and tolerance, our calm perspectives and peaceful ways into the mix..
And that is why we are hear writing, from our hearts..
Sending love and blessings dear friend.. Much love 💖🙏
I love that you are seeing more social activity over there, Ann. I truly do have hope for our species, and I do think the good greatly outweighs the bad. It’s just hard to know that when all one hears about is the bad.
Stiff upper lip and all that, my friend.
bill
Perfect, Bill!
These thoughts and comments apply to Britain and Europe in exactly the same way. I have found that my friends, my acquaintances and my neighbours echo the very same.
We are certainly lost on a national and global scale, but if we centre on our immediate community and surroundings, then we can feel valued, effective and belonging to a band of kind, well-meaning people.
That’s a good way to start.
Suddenly, more random people in town are saying hello, are smiling, even having a chat and it reminds me that we are essentially sociable and reaching out – it makes a huge difference.
Wishing you a great day, a wonderful week and a sunny outlook, Bill.
Ann