Examining Life’s Meaning
Pictured and quoted here, Rabindranath Tagore “was a Bengali polymath, poet, musician, and artist from the Indian subcontinent. He reshaped Bengali literature and music, as well as Indian art with Contextual Modernism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.”
I’m going to take a moment and let what he wrote here (at left) sink in.
Perhaps the biggest tragedy of modern-day American culture is the systematic removal of our instinct to care for one another. We are bombarded with messages suggesting that those whose life focus is on anything but personal gain are “suckers” or “losers.”
We live with a steady stream of media that promotes contention and competition, and assertions that other, lesser and dirtier people are coming for our possessions. Ask yourself: How popular would the “Build That Wall” slogan have been even 10 years ago?
We elect our leaders specifically for their thirst to tear apart our social programs that, until recently, provided things like care for the elderly, keeping youth on track, quality education, food for the poor, environmental responsibility, the accommodation of asylum-seekers, and steps toward universal healthcare.
Then of course we have the other forms of degradation in our modes of dealing with our fellows: casualties like honesty, fairness and truth. Almost half of the U.S. supports a president who tells an average of 12 lies per day. Think of how that would have played with the American public just a decade ago.
Why is it that young people are so much more involved in climate change mitigation than their parents? Could it be that problems that do not affect us personally are not really problems at all?
The only way our civilization can overcome the environmental mess we’ve created is to find a way to reverse course here, to reject the values of selfishness and dishonesty, and acknowledge a core truth about humankind: we are all one; we are all connected.
Craig,
Have you ever thought you may have missed your true calling ?
You seem so comfortable in mounting a pulpit with all the ardor, passion and seal-righteousness of an old time evangelist chastising the wicked ?
The crisis on the US southern border is neither “invented” by the administration, or exaggerated. It’s all too real, and growing. Illegal immigration is a world wide phenomenon with disastrous consequences and can’t be solved by everyone joining hands and singing ‘Kumbaya’.
Anyone denying the problem is not only urgent but in need of a radical solution, is devoid of honesty, fairness and truth.
“Food for the poor and food for the poor, environmental responsibility, accommodation of asylum-seekers”, should not be the goal of government ! The elimination of the poor through higher employment opportunities and the elimination of false “asylum seekers” should be the proper role of governments.
The first duty of government, is not to act as a sort of “salvation Army” but to protect and provide for the needs of citizens.
This means making hard, practical, workable decisions. Employment, especially private sector employment is far superior to vast, institutionalized welfare programs and poverty traps.
A brutal and very disturbing divisiveness happening in American culture is displayed by your increasing fanaticism to criticize only those with whom you disagree.
By your silence you tacitly agree with the leftist activist s and politicians who viciously attacked in the media a young rape-victim in Seattle.
What was her crime ? Well…, according to leftist journalist Erica Barnett, the victim was guity of being an “attractive blonde woman”.
Erica Barnett’s media colleagues joined her dismissed the victim’s trauma (requiring hospitalization} as mere theatrics serving a false narrative that the homeless represent a danger to the community.
They demanded that the victime be silenced as “graphic descriptions” of violent rape may be traumatic for other survivors!
Imagine the furor and outrage from the left if a male reporter on FOX had made such remarks! .
Seattle Councilwoman Lorena Gonzalez took to Twitter to admonish victim, claiming her “story” would create fear and cause harm to homeless communities and may already be triggered other victims to make complaints.”
WTF ? Can you imagine the outrage if a conservative Councilman made such an outrageous observation?
Now for the reality:
The rapist, one Christopher Teel , a transient from Texas arrived in Seattle with several other illegal migrants and transients, all of whom were evading multiple criminal warrants seeking “sanctuary”in a city-funded homeless encampment.
During a burglary, Teel attacked and raped at knife-point a woman employee in the female bathroom of a Volkswagen dealership, he also head butted a police officer.
Seattle police report a 221% increase in crimes including property destruction, violence, prostitution, and drug dealing since the “sanctuary’ opened.
The inhabitants of “sanctuary” are 38 times more likely to commit crimes than the average citizen despite representing 0.5% of the population.
This is political correctness gone mad.
In San Francisco, an number of illegal migrants were granted “sanctuary”, despite being identified by federal authorities of being viscous gang members, wanted by Mexican authorities of the most horrendous crimes against other illegal migrant. (rape, murder, forcible child prostitution, drugs, protection racketeering etc).
The City of San Fransisco hid these creatures from the Feds, allowing them to continue living among, and preying on their terrified victims.
Yet you are silent. Where is your “moral” outrage ?
I can tell you, it’s all used up ranting against the President and the “wrong sort of Billionaire”. (funny how a billionaires donation to the Democrats transforms him joining the righteous)
“Why is it that young people are so much more involved in climate change mitigation than their parents?” Well,…in reality only a small, but noisy proportion of young people are concerned with climate change, and very few have any idea of the problems.
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I have great faith in the young, but I don’t lose sight or memory of the limitations of being young. (being old ain’t so hot either:) ).
The young are more susceptible to passionate, rebellious propaganda, that’s part of the process of growing up. Being young automatically implies they lack a degree of perspective and depth of complex knowledge.
That doesn’t mean their opinions should be ignored or trivialized, but it does mean their views should moderate with age, greater knowledge and responsibility.
The other day I found myself on Public Transport with a group of earnest young senior school kids (all from expensive private schools). These pupils had decided to join a protest march for the Environment.
I took the opportunity to discover the depth of knowledge these kids possessed. I asked one girl about the irony of her protest poster depicting the popular image of a penguin and polar bear siting on a iceberg. The message being the animals were in danger of extinction from the climate change, melting ice, etc.
To her embarrassment and laughter of her companions I pointed out the if a penguin and a polar bear (who live in different hemispheres), did find themselves sharing an ice-berg, then the penguin would certainly be in danger of becoming extinct !
I also asked if she thought the polar bear was going to drown.
When she, and several of her friends, expressed their concern about the polar bears survival. I reassured them polar bears can swim more than 100 kilometers and are very adept at catching fish.
(Much doubt and Googling ensued, with astonished responses).
I also asked one of the boys how much electricity he believed the Melbourne Tram,on which we were all traveling,used per kilometre?
I pointed out although trams run on rails, they weigh between 26 and 38 tonnes, depending on the model. When asked how he would generate enough electricity, he replied “solar”.
To my amazement, several of his colleagues expressed doubt about the capacity of solar, (more Googling), I then asked if he had ever worked out how much power would be needed to be generated to run the vast Melbourne tram network, and how big the an array of solar panels would be required.
I then asked if he had worked out the transmission losses, etc, etc.
Leaving that aside, I inquired what they were studying at school and what they hoped to study at university. The discussion was interesting and informative.
I wished them well, and extended an invitation to visit our EV business.
I asked one of the young female students, whom I noticed had changed out of uniform and was wearing make-up why she was attending a protest, she replied candidly, ” For a laugh, after all, It’s a day off school and an excuse for a night out in the city!”.
When she saw I wasn’t shocked, but approving and amused, she began to discuss her desire to travel and pursue a career in media when leaving school. (I’m sure she will succeed).
I was heartened when informed two of the boys had accepted my invitation and arranged for a visit to our factory.
(I also received an invitation to a music event from three of the girls who would be performing).
Most of these young peoples political and social views will grow and change with greater knowledge, experience and responsibility.
But it’s great to see them involved and participating.