Thursday, July 21, 2016
So there I was...: Divided we fall
So there I was...: Divided we fall: There was a coup last week where the military attempted to overthrow the government. In multiple cities, with bridges closed by tanks and s...
Divided we fall
There was a coup last week where the military attempted to overthrow the government. In multiple cities, with bridges closed by tanks and soldiers. Many were killed and many more were wounded. The civilians, the citizens that have lived there all their lives, wouldn't stand for it. They rose up and supported their elected officials. They killed soldiers and police officers, and one could argue that they became the barbarians that they rose up to defeat in the first place. The President has continued over the last few years to chip away at some of the very freedoms that were embraced to begin with- journalists getting arrested maybe killed. Being defined as more of a dictator than anything else. Borders being guarded by armed men who have shot and killed families as they were seeking shelter from a worse hell in their own cities.
The President has detained thousands upon thousands of soldiers and police officers. The homes of many are full of families scared to leave their shelter, because of - their government? Their neighbors? Their armed forces? Who is out there? A self proclaimed militia of the people? But does that mean that the people agree with the military or the government? Is the government on your side? Or against you? The location of their homes and schools may dictate whether they are seen as likely enemies of the state. Maybe they have had discussions about the dictatorship and oppressiveness of this President. Maybe they too, like the military, felt that changes should be made. That the elected officials no longer work in service of the people, but in accordance to their own political agendas. The foreign policies of which have left their country vulnerable to attack from not one but potentially two sides of opposition forces that they have no control over.
The parents, children and young adults who have not encountered an experience like this before, they agonize over what is good and what is right. They saw their best friend get shot in the head as they were fleeing from the chaos between the military and the citizens fighting for their country. Dead. It happened to many that night. If it wasn't their best-friend it was their auto mechanic, or their high school teacher. The confusion of why and who fades away to the need to survive. Seeking shelter, you pass your neighbor but not the version of him that you have always known. He is not fearful, he is enraged, but shoots at a couple of people that were attempting to move to a safer hiding place than between 2 cars. Only one got a chance to get to safety, but the shock of watching the life leave the body in front of him, left him frozen, unmovable in that very spot..
What will the months to come bring for these people?
This was Syria, Turkey, and I beg you to imagine the possibility of it being the US. The divisive course our country in on, the embracing of hatred and the belief that your government is against you- maybe trying to take your guns, what would it take for a coup to occur here? Racial relations are worse than after the Rodney King incident in LA. If you are a minority, who do you side with if you don't side with the government? Safety in numbers? Or do you take up arms and defend to the death what is best for you and your family? Your neighborhood? Your state? If you're a black man in America, who do you side with? Anyone but the white man merely out of principle? And you, the white folk in the US- feeling persecuted for your success, your unfound fears of Muslims, Hispanics, African Americans- who else is on your side? Anyone at all?
Now I ask you? What has had the biggest effect on the decisions of "judgment" against our fellow man?
What has planted the seed of inequality and unjust treatment; of being used, mistreated, overly taxed, and robbed by the government; of your belief that you are more deserving than others, or maybe just that some are less deserving than you?
Your personal experiences? I doubt that to be true for the majority of Americans.
It's the Media. The media has force fed images and ideas into the mainstream that has us forming sides against each other. The doctor who has taken care of you for the last few years? He's different colored. The firefighter who has risked life and limb regardless of race, color, age, or address- he's not even originally from the US? The nurse who cared for your father- she speaks English with a thick accent? Your soldiers, that have fought to protect our country, might just be from some of those Middle Eastern Countries that you think are full of terrorists. So think about it- whether you are Trump or Clinton fans. Whether you are American or Foreign, Black or White, Man or Woman.. Is the venomous debate through a computer screen really making a change for the better? Is the bashing of someone because of who they vote for going to bring positive changes in this country? Does the media give rise to the end all be all of pot stirrers? The answer you are looking for is yes. How about we worry more about working together towards better solutions than losing friendships over various media postings that have slanted the truth, if not out right lied, to push their agenda. Coming together for good will bring us all closer to what we all want. So I ask you to stop and listen. Stop trying to spout off reasons for not hearing. Can our concerns really be so damningly different?
Our country is not immune to treason, dissention, and attacks from within. So should we look at that possibility in an honest effort to find common ground before we find ourselves hiding between cars, locked behind doors and unable to distinguish between friend or foe?
You might be asking how?
Start with your next political conversation, your next post about the killings of black men and police. The next rant and ridicule against your government that you have every right to ridicule but also have every right to work at the city level, county level to make changes. Keep your finger pointed to yourself, because if you cannot find a place of peace and compassion inside of you, you will never find it in someone else.
The President has detained thousands upon thousands of soldiers and police officers. The homes of many are full of families scared to leave their shelter, because of - their government? Their neighbors? Their armed forces? Who is out there? A self proclaimed militia of the people? But does that mean that the people agree with the military or the government? Is the government on your side? Or against you? The location of their homes and schools may dictate whether they are seen as likely enemies of the state. Maybe they have had discussions about the dictatorship and oppressiveness of this President. Maybe they too, like the military, felt that changes should be made. That the elected officials no longer work in service of the people, but in accordance to their own political agendas. The foreign policies of which have left their country vulnerable to attack from not one but potentially two sides of opposition forces that they have no control over.
The parents, children and young adults who have not encountered an experience like this before, they agonize over what is good and what is right. They saw their best friend get shot in the head as they were fleeing from the chaos between the military and the citizens fighting for their country. Dead. It happened to many that night. If it wasn't their best-friend it was their auto mechanic, or their high school teacher. The confusion of why and who fades away to the need to survive. Seeking shelter, you pass your neighbor but not the version of him that you have always known. He is not fearful, he is enraged, but shoots at a couple of people that were attempting to move to a safer hiding place than between 2 cars. Only one got a chance to get to safety, but the shock of watching the life leave the body in front of him, left him frozen, unmovable in that very spot..
What will the months to come bring for these people?
This was Syria, Turkey, and I beg you to imagine the possibility of it being the US. The divisive course our country in on, the embracing of hatred and the belief that your government is against you- maybe trying to take your guns, what would it take for a coup to occur here? Racial relations are worse than after the Rodney King incident in LA. If you are a minority, who do you side with if you don't side with the government? Safety in numbers? Or do you take up arms and defend to the death what is best for you and your family? Your neighborhood? Your state? If you're a black man in America, who do you side with? Anyone but the white man merely out of principle? And you, the white folk in the US- feeling persecuted for your success, your unfound fears of Muslims, Hispanics, African Americans- who else is on your side? Anyone at all?
Now I ask you? What has had the biggest effect on the decisions of "judgment" against our fellow man?
What has planted the seed of inequality and unjust treatment; of being used, mistreated, overly taxed, and robbed by the government; of your belief that you are more deserving than others, or maybe just that some are less deserving than you?
Your personal experiences? I doubt that to be true for the majority of Americans.
It's the Media. The media has force fed images and ideas into the mainstream that has us forming sides against each other. The doctor who has taken care of you for the last few years? He's different colored. The firefighter who has risked life and limb regardless of race, color, age, or address- he's not even originally from the US? The nurse who cared for your father- she speaks English with a thick accent? Your soldiers, that have fought to protect our country, might just be from some of those Middle Eastern Countries that you think are full of terrorists. So think about it- whether you are Trump or Clinton fans. Whether you are American or Foreign, Black or White, Man or Woman.. Is the venomous debate through a computer screen really making a change for the better? Is the bashing of someone because of who they vote for going to bring positive changes in this country? Does the media give rise to the end all be all of pot stirrers? The answer you are looking for is yes. How about we worry more about working together towards better solutions than losing friendships over various media postings that have slanted the truth, if not out right lied, to push their agenda. Coming together for good will bring us all closer to what we all want. So I ask you to stop and listen. Stop trying to spout off reasons for not hearing. Can our concerns really be so damningly different?
Our country is not immune to treason, dissention, and attacks from within. So should we look at that possibility in an honest effort to find common ground before we find ourselves hiding between cars, locked behind doors and unable to distinguish between friend or foe?
You might be asking how?
Start with your next political conversation, your next post about the killings of black men and police. The next rant and ridicule against your government that you have every right to ridicule but also have every right to work at the city level, county level to make changes. Keep your finger pointed to yourself, because if you cannot find a place of peace and compassion inside of you, you will never find it in someone else.
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