Reflections of Me: Life, the Universe, and----The End of the World
Today, St. Patrick's Day 2019, marks the end of a sad, disgusting, despairing week. Our Nation rolls on nearly rudderless, with a pilot who makes Captain Queeg look sane. The World, particularly the Western World ( considered by many to be the watermark of civilization ), seems to grow more mad with each passing day. The latest madness, a hate-fueled murder and wounding of 100 people in New Zealand, has left me for several days at a loss. One lone madman, armed with firearms, has killed 50 people, and wounded 50 more. Some of whom may not recover. Their crime in his eyes? They were attending a church for their religion. Yes. That's all.
This leads me to once again consider the madness that seems to be infecting the world. A madness fueled by hate, hate of anything perceived as 'different'. Hate that has begun to be endorsed by World Leaders. One of the most prominent of whom -- the President of our very own Nation -- doesn't see any of it as a problem, and even encourages it among his own 'followers'. I can no longer call them supporters ; they have revealed themselves as a cult. A cult of hatred.
Hate. It's a word, but one never to be underestimated. It is a word we have always used, in some context, never thinking about just how it makes us appear. Most often, we use it incorrectly, of course, but that is the nature of language. Hate, like love, is not just a word, however ; it is a emotion, and one of the most powerful emotions known to mankind. For example, as a child, perhaps there was a food you didn't like. Vegetables often fall into this category. Yes, even as children, we learn to use the word : we don't say 'I don't like broccoli', we say, 'I hate broccoli'. Even though it is impossible to hate broccoli ; it has never, nor will ever, do anything to harm you. It won't cause you to bleed, break a bone, or steal a loved one from you. Or, perhaps you see a rodent -- say, a rat -- and it has chewed something of yours. We might say 'I hate rats' following that. Except we don't. We might hate THAT rat, but it is not possible to hate all rats. We just have this tendency ( a learned one? ) to assign a emotion to all members of a species, animal, mineral, or human, based on our interaction with but a few, or only one, member of that species.
Immigration, people fleeing their native countries due to violence, poverty, or political persecution, has provided a convenient focus for those humans who simply hate but lack a target. Religion has accomplished this for centuries, but as we have become more civilized, it had lost it's power to divide to the point of war. Hatred was confined to specific locales, often to individuals, who had no one physically to contact who agreed with them. Enter modern technology, and the internet. Social interaction among humans was no longer confined to one's immediate area, or the medium of television and the printed word. It was now possible, without regulation on speech or personal interest, to seek out and find those of like dispositions around the globe. It proved to be a fertile breeding ground for hatred. Where a single individual in a isolated location may have lacked the courage to act alone, feeling isolated from others, he or she could now find justification and encouragement to act out their frustrations, their lack of knowledge, their ignorance, as well as easily obtain the tools to do so. They know they will have the support and encouragement from this small group here, that small group there.
Immigration itself is a issue, yes, but not one deserving of hate. It does create problems on a national fiscal level, as well as humanitarian level. Obviously, it has to be regulated, and dealt with in a logical, humanitarian fashion. Fear doesn't enter into it ; most of these people are fleeing fear itself, and to be met with small-minded people whose small groups seem to have loud voices ( and be supported by men and women allegedly elected as leaders of the haven the immigrants seek ) could, can, and sometimes does lead these people to commit acts considered 'illegal' under a nation's immigration laws. Especially nations lead by small-minded leaders who encourage small, isolated hate-filled groups.
And never underestimate the power of small groups, because while isolated they may be small, but given online capability, they can act with the same power as large groups. Only decent education and continued vigilance can combat them, and a willingness to recognize, isolate, and even curtail speech that is obviously designed to inspire hatred and violence. No matter who it is, and no matter what their target. Perhaps we hear someone say they hate those people from that country. We need to speak up, ask them why? What did all the people of that country do to them? Was it all of them? Or just one? Or, none? Maybe they have never had a bad experience with anyone from that country, so, why do they feel the need to hate all the people? Same with a religion. Why? If they are not physically attacking you, why advocate the physical attacking of them? Hate a person who commits a act of terrorism, yes. That person, or persons. But why ALL of them?
Even then, why return hate for hate? Yes, sometimes the only way to combat violence is with violence. But we should temper that violence with Justice, and with understanding. The understanding has to begin within ourselves, before we can even begin to understand the motivations of others. Violence in defense of life I can personally accept, but when no physical threat is present, there is no reason for violence. Unless, of course, one's mental capacity is unbalanced, and emotion becomes more of a motivation than logic. It is those who exhibit just that whom we need to be vigilant for. Those who say 'that apple was rotten, therefore, all apples are rotten'.
The use of weapons against those who are unarmed, not posing a threat to you personally, is a act of cowardice. Of fear. Of hatred, first of oneself, then, not being able to accept that, assigning blame to another. Fear of not being able to control others' actions who may have views different from yours, skin color different, language different, worship different. The act of frightened, lonely people who need only justification from someone, ANYone, to validate their taking violent action. No respect for life other than their own, and likely very little respect for their own. They are not martyrs to a cause, they are simply murderers who, without hate, feel no emotion of any kind. War often can create such people, as war is mostly the murder of other human beings who represent something that even some of them may not believe in, but who will kill, and die, in the name of a Nation, out of what they perceive as patriotism. Because they are citizens of that nation, and, thus, they must be right.
Even if they don't really understand why they are there.
Sorry for the depressing tone of this blog, but, I can find nothing fun or funny about what is going on in the world today. Between the decline in humanity and the devastating weather events resulting from climate change, the need to laugh is stronger than ever, and harder to fulfill. These are things I felt I needed to speak out about, and if you have made it this far, I thank you sincerely for reading, and assisting me in my personal self-therapy. As always, comments are welcome, whether I reply to them or not.
This leads me to once again consider the madness that seems to be infecting the world. A madness fueled by hate, hate of anything perceived as 'different'. Hate that has begun to be endorsed by World Leaders. One of the most prominent of whom -- the President of our very own Nation -- doesn't see any of it as a problem, and even encourages it among his own 'followers'. I can no longer call them supporters ; they have revealed themselves as a cult. A cult of hatred.
Hate. It's a word, but one never to be underestimated. It is a word we have always used, in some context, never thinking about just how it makes us appear. Most often, we use it incorrectly, of course, but that is the nature of language. Hate, like love, is not just a word, however ; it is a emotion, and one of the most powerful emotions known to mankind. For example, as a child, perhaps there was a food you didn't like. Vegetables often fall into this category. Yes, even as children, we learn to use the word : we don't say 'I don't like broccoli', we say, 'I hate broccoli'. Even though it is impossible to hate broccoli ; it has never, nor will ever, do anything to harm you. It won't cause you to bleed, break a bone, or steal a loved one from you. Or, perhaps you see a rodent -- say, a rat -- and it has chewed something of yours. We might say 'I hate rats' following that. Except we don't. We might hate THAT rat, but it is not possible to hate all rats. We just have this tendency ( a learned one? ) to assign a emotion to all members of a species, animal, mineral, or human, based on our interaction with but a few, or only one, member of that species.
Immigration, people fleeing their native countries due to violence, poverty, or political persecution, has provided a convenient focus for those humans who simply hate but lack a target. Religion has accomplished this for centuries, but as we have become more civilized, it had lost it's power to divide to the point of war. Hatred was confined to specific locales, often to individuals, who had no one physically to contact who agreed with them. Enter modern technology, and the internet. Social interaction among humans was no longer confined to one's immediate area, or the medium of television and the printed word. It was now possible, without regulation on speech or personal interest, to seek out and find those of like dispositions around the globe. It proved to be a fertile breeding ground for hatred. Where a single individual in a isolated location may have lacked the courage to act alone, feeling isolated from others, he or she could now find justification and encouragement to act out their frustrations, their lack of knowledge, their ignorance, as well as easily obtain the tools to do so. They know they will have the support and encouragement from this small group here, that small group there.
Immigration itself is a issue, yes, but not one deserving of hate. It does create problems on a national fiscal level, as well as humanitarian level. Obviously, it has to be regulated, and dealt with in a logical, humanitarian fashion. Fear doesn't enter into it ; most of these people are fleeing fear itself, and to be met with small-minded people whose small groups seem to have loud voices ( and be supported by men and women allegedly elected as leaders of the haven the immigrants seek ) could, can, and sometimes does lead these people to commit acts considered 'illegal' under a nation's immigration laws. Especially nations lead by small-minded leaders who encourage small, isolated hate-filled groups.
And never underestimate the power of small groups, because while isolated they may be small, but given online capability, they can act with the same power as large groups. Only decent education and continued vigilance can combat them, and a willingness to recognize, isolate, and even curtail speech that is obviously designed to inspire hatred and violence. No matter who it is, and no matter what their target. Perhaps we hear someone say they hate those people from that country. We need to speak up, ask them why? What did all the people of that country do to them? Was it all of them? Or just one? Or, none? Maybe they have never had a bad experience with anyone from that country, so, why do they feel the need to hate all the people? Same with a religion. Why? If they are not physically attacking you, why advocate the physical attacking of them? Hate a person who commits a act of terrorism, yes. That person, or persons. But why ALL of them?
Even then, why return hate for hate? Yes, sometimes the only way to combat violence is with violence. But we should temper that violence with Justice, and with understanding. The understanding has to begin within ourselves, before we can even begin to understand the motivations of others. Violence in defense of life I can personally accept, but when no physical threat is present, there is no reason for violence. Unless, of course, one's mental capacity is unbalanced, and emotion becomes more of a motivation than logic. It is those who exhibit just that whom we need to be vigilant for. Those who say 'that apple was rotten, therefore, all apples are rotten'.
The use of weapons against those who are unarmed, not posing a threat to you personally, is a act of cowardice. Of fear. Of hatred, first of oneself, then, not being able to accept that, assigning blame to another. Fear of not being able to control others' actions who may have views different from yours, skin color different, language different, worship different. The act of frightened, lonely people who need only justification from someone, ANYone, to validate their taking violent action. No respect for life other than their own, and likely very little respect for their own. They are not martyrs to a cause, they are simply murderers who, without hate, feel no emotion of any kind. War often can create such people, as war is mostly the murder of other human beings who represent something that even some of them may not believe in, but who will kill, and die, in the name of a Nation, out of what they perceive as patriotism. Because they are citizens of that nation, and, thus, they must be right.
Even if they don't really understand why they are there.
Sorry for the depressing tone of this blog, but, I can find nothing fun or funny about what is going on in the world today. Between the decline in humanity and the devastating weather events resulting from climate change, the need to laugh is stronger than ever, and harder to fulfill. These are things I felt I needed to speak out about, and if you have made it this far, I thank you sincerely for reading, and assisting me in my personal self-therapy. As always, comments are welcome, whether I reply to them or not.
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