Everyone knows Americans are upset.
One look at the daily news headlines on a single page yields the following: A thirteen year old has been stabbed to death and buried by two college students, an eleven year old soldier was shot and killed by terrorists, two teens committed suicide in a possible pact, a man hacked a woman's arm off on a subway, a family was killed in a home invasion, a college student walking home from work was killed by a hit and run driver, a baby was killed by someone aiming at someone else, there has been a burst of unemployment claims, young men have been killed by police who are supposed to protect, police who do protect are killed because they are police, and reports of homeless people being herded away from their usual makeshift shelters to make room for the well-heeled super bowl attendees are surfacing.
That's a lot of crazy in one sentence.
An update from world news makes it clear that Americans are not the only ones living in the midst of chaos.
North Korea hurls trash at their Southern counterparts, while Russia bombs Syria. Islamic states are held hostage by radical Islamic extremists. Immigrants clash with locals even in European and Scandinavian countries that have long prided themselves on strong civic structure and humanitarianism.
People feel stretched and pushed and intimidated and ignored. They are tired and stressed, and many are at their breaking points.
The worst outcome to almost any angry situation is battle, be it on a personal or global level. Someone may win, but even the winner will often be left with irreparable damage and trauma. Some scars are apparent, others only surface to interrupt sleep or lonely, stressful moments. In any case, no one ever leaves a battle unscathed, even the apparent victor.
The number of children learning to act as soldiers is expanding along with global unrest. Children who are forced to deal with lack, loss, anguish and unspeakable horror learn to detach. However, children's minds are not fully developed. Recent studies indicate that babies born to pregnant women in war zones are exhibiting altered body chemicals and brain patterns, so we can only presume more significant impact to a child who has dreadful sensory experiences while the body and mind is still growing and mapping.
Soldiers are typically adults who choose to train and develop fighting skills and survival and evasion techniques, but what is the impact to society when more and more children are forced into situations of self-preservation?
Are these children ever going to be capable of developing normal relationships? Can they adapt and function as productive members of society? Or, will we see less and less empathy? More and more fighting? The continued evolution of survival of the fittest even in our urban utopias?
We should all be concerned. The spread of anger and hatred has impacted all socio-ecoconomic levels, races, and religions. The perpetuation of it will continue to spawn more of the same. It will not be contained to specific demographic groups or geographic areas. That should be apparent to anyone with any level of awareness.
Whether viewing the world in a factual scientific manner, or through the eyes of religion or spirituality, many behaviors and choices have brought us to this time and place. In the midst of the chaos, we can use time and energy to argue about who committed the worst atrocities and who suffered most, or we can agree that many suffered, many still suffer, and more will suffer.
That is not a condemnation of any one's perceptions or beliefs. It is a fact. Truth can be harsh and cold, but it does set us free.
People who are hungry and need shelter and basic clothes watch others squander hundreds and thousands of dollars on an evening out. Veterans have no place to sleep while investors buy fifteen homes and leave fourteen sitting empty to use for tax write offs. Children in America are hungry and cold while politicians hold fund raisers where supporters pay thousands of dollars to eat one meal.
Our natural resources of water, air, earth, plants and trees, have been squandered, damaged, and destroyed through human actions, some intentional, some careless. People wear masks to breathe, and asthma and respiratory diseases have spiked to levels never seen. People are unable to drink water because of pollution and contamination, while others are unable to even get access to water. Fish die, and animals face extinction. Diseases and viruses are spreading, and the forests and habitats where potential cures rest are being destroyed.
Corporate leaders with college educations and specialized knowledge create schemes and speculative investments that send our entire country's economy into a tailspin, and our politicians use tax money to bail them out. None of the aforementioned who destroyed lives, homes, and retirement funds have served time, and similar practices still exist, but our jails are full of young men who started life with odds stacked against them and turned to crime in despair.
Money and wealth are not the enemy. However, use of money and wealth is a clear indicator of character. Ultimately, every action has a consequence. For every action, there is an equal but opposite reaction. It is a simple law of nature. Every major religion has a scripture or guideline that supports this.
As humankind, those who have the insight to understand this must take a stand. Observation and evaluation are important, but there comes a time when action is required. Apathy is resignation that comes from disbelief. Don't be apathetic, be angry. Be angrier than those in society who are driven by selfishness and hate. Anger is simply an emotion, and it can also be channeled and used for good. If you do not believe in the possibility of change, you will not take any action toward it.
If one person reads this today and chooses to step up and take his or her place in society as a leader, then my action of writing accomplished its purpose. Leadership is more than running for office, although that may be your purpose. Your strength may be fund raising, public speaking, or teaching. Maybe you are that compassionate person who can hold a frightened child who has been yanked into foster care. Maybe you have been through struggles others cannot imagine, and learned to hold your head high and look up anyway. You could be a healer, or an artist, or an animal lover. You may bake cakes and bread, or you may build things.
Right now, forget the bigger picture and the world. Instead, move yourself. Take that action and seek out one person, one cause, or one belief that matters to you personally. Take one action today that will have a positive impact on your chosen focus. Repeat tomorrow.
This is how change starts. This is where it must begin. Intentions mean nothing. Actions matter. Nothing ever stays the same. Change comes. The question is, what kind of change will it be? You have the ability to make an impact. You can help create positive change in your corner of the world no matter how big or small. Hold your political candidates and leaders accountable. Pay attention to their actions. Are they promoting rage, or offering to lead by example and action?
Get angry, then get moving.
© Copyright 2016 Robin Kersey
One look at the daily news headlines on a single page yields the following: A thirteen year old has been stabbed to death and buried by two college students, an eleven year old soldier was shot and killed by terrorists, two teens committed suicide in a possible pact, a man hacked a woman's arm off on a subway, a family was killed in a home invasion, a college student walking home from work was killed by a hit and run driver, a baby was killed by someone aiming at someone else, there has been a burst of unemployment claims, young men have been killed by police who are supposed to protect, police who do protect are killed because they are police, and reports of homeless people being herded away from their usual makeshift shelters to make room for the well-heeled super bowl attendees are surfacing.
That's a lot of crazy in one sentence.
An update from world news makes it clear that Americans are not the only ones living in the midst of chaos.
North Korea hurls trash at their Southern counterparts, while Russia bombs Syria. Islamic states are held hostage by radical Islamic extremists. Immigrants clash with locals even in European and Scandinavian countries that have long prided themselves on strong civic structure and humanitarianism.
People feel stretched and pushed and intimidated and ignored. They are tired and stressed, and many are at their breaking points.
The worst outcome to almost any angry situation is battle, be it on a personal or global level. Someone may win, but even the winner will often be left with irreparable damage and trauma. Some scars are apparent, others only surface to interrupt sleep or lonely, stressful moments. In any case, no one ever leaves a battle unscathed, even the apparent victor.
The number of children learning to act as soldiers is expanding along with global unrest. Children who are forced to deal with lack, loss, anguish and unspeakable horror learn to detach. However, children's minds are not fully developed. Recent studies indicate that babies born to pregnant women in war zones are exhibiting altered body chemicals and brain patterns, so we can only presume more significant impact to a child who has dreadful sensory experiences while the body and mind is still growing and mapping.
Soldiers are typically adults who choose to train and develop fighting skills and survival and evasion techniques, but what is the impact to society when more and more children are forced into situations of self-preservation?
Are these children ever going to be capable of developing normal relationships? Can they adapt and function as productive members of society? Or, will we see less and less empathy? More and more fighting? The continued evolution of survival of the fittest even in our urban utopias?
We should all be concerned. The spread of anger and hatred has impacted all socio-ecoconomic levels, races, and religions. The perpetuation of it will continue to spawn more of the same. It will not be contained to specific demographic groups or geographic areas. That should be apparent to anyone with any level of awareness.
Whether viewing the world in a factual scientific manner, or through the eyes of religion or spirituality, many behaviors and choices have brought us to this time and place. In the midst of the chaos, we can use time and energy to argue about who committed the worst atrocities and who suffered most, or we can agree that many suffered, many still suffer, and more will suffer.
That is not a condemnation of any one's perceptions or beliefs. It is a fact. Truth can be harsh and cold, but it does set us free.
People who are hungry and need shelter and basic clothes watch others squander hundreds and thousands of dollars on an evening out. Veterans have no place to sleep while investors buy fifteen homes and leave fourteen sitting empty to use for tax write offs. Children in America are hungry and cold while politicians hold fund raisers where supporters pay thousands of dollars to eat one meal.
Our natural resources of water, air, earth, plants and trees, have been squandered, damaged, and destroyed through human actions, some intentional, some careless. People wear masks to breathe, and asthma and respiratory diseases have spiked to levels never seen. People are unable to drink water because of pollution and contamination, while others are unable to even get access to water. Fish die, and animals face extinction. Diseases and viruses are spreading, and the forests and habitats where potential cures rest are being destroyed.
Corporate leaders with college educations and specialized knowledge create schemes and speculative investments that send our entire country's economy into a tailspin, and our politicians use tax money to bail them out. None of the aforementioned who destroyed lives, homes, and retirement funds have served time, and similar practices still exist, but our jails are full of young men who started life with odds stacked against them and turned to crime in despair.
Money and wealth are not the enemy. However, use of money and wealth is a clear indicator of character. Ultimately, every action has a consequence. For every action, there is an equal but opposite reaction. It is a simple law of nature. Every major religion has a scripture or guideline that supports this.
As humankind, those who have the insight to understand this must take a stand. Observation and evaluation are important, but there comes a time when action is required. Apathy is resignation that comes from disbelief. Don't be apathetic, be angry. Be angrier than those in society who are driven by selfishness and hate. Anger is simply an emotion, and it can also be channeled and used for good. If you do not believe in the possibility of change, you will not take any action toward it.
If one person reads this today and chooses to step up and take his or her place in society as a leader, then my action of writing accomplished its purpose. Leadership is more than running for office, although that may be your purpose. Your strength may be fund raising, public speaking, or teaching. Maybe you are that compassionate person who can hold a frightened child who has been yanked into foster care. Maybe you have been through struggles others cannot imagine, and learned to hold your head high and look up anyway. You could be a healer, or an artist, or an animal lover. You may bake cakes and bread, or you may build things.
Right now, forget the bigger picture and the world. Instead, move yourself. Take that action and seek out one person, one cause, or one belief that matters to you personally. Take one action today that will have a positive impact on your chosen focus. Repeat tomorrow.
This is how change starts. This is where it must begin. Intentions mean nothing. Actions matter. Nothing ever stays the same. Change comes. The question is, what kind of change will it be? You have the ability to make an impact. You can help create positive change in your corner of the world no matter how big or small. Hold your political candidates and leaders accountable. Pay attention to their actions. Are they promoting rage, or offering to lead by example and action?
Get angry, then get moving.
© Copyright 2016 Robin Kersey
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