Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Rage Lives Here

“Earth is an insane asylum, to which the other planets deport their lunatics."
– Voltaire











Photo by: Stuti Sakhalkar





And, by "here", I mean the entirety of our Planet Earth.

How else to explain the burning emotions that unaccountably overflow each time we ease off the guard, and turn our heads toward a light we hope will illuminate the next day, or week, or – dare we say it – year? How else to explain how the world hopes with us, yet seems unwilling to wait for a new dawn that could be thwarted like the old dawns that came before? How else to explain the bombers who sacrifice their flesh on the streets of Baghdad and Afghanistan? How else to explain the rebels who rape and slaughter in Somalia, and the military that support them? How else to explain the persecutions in Tibet and Bangladesh? How else to explain the men with guns who prowled hotels, restaurants and markets in Mumbai today, seeking US and British hostages? Rage lives here.

Just when we gather together, line up and vote for Hope we are reminded. Just when we believe that we need only exercise patience to realize the time when we can lift our heads and return to our lives, we are reminded. Just when we believe the economy will stabilize, and that we can return to our shopping centers and well-designed recreation complexes, our fully-funded libraries, and our jobs with full benefits and 6% raises, we are reminded that rage lives here.

It is the imbalance that enrages us. Too much plenty while others starve. Too much greed when others struggle. Too much theft of land and culture and resources and spirit, when others are decimated, pushed under, and left to scrabble for crumbs in the sand, left by those who hold the power – in this present.

And we can tut-tut the tactics. We can bring our own answering rage to bear against those cast as "the enemy". We can build armies and fleets, and more sophisticated weapons. We can loose our diplomats, as a matter of form. We can stack the councils, out-maneuver unwieldy international organizations, and bribe influence the leaders of uncooperative countries.

Meanwhile, discomfort rises to dissatisfaction. Dissatisfaction congeals into disenfranchisement. The disenfranchised organize and, sooner or later, stop protesting and start learning to wield automatic weapons. Because, rage lives here. And, if we do not recognize it, acknowledge it, and address it, we can only fortify our homesteads, and dread the day when we are the ones who consume – and are consumed by – our own rage.

We are connected, all of us. And, we must choose well, lest our connection reveal a painful truth: the rage we fight lives within.


But, we knew that all along.

5 comments:

restoration42 said...

Hi Fe, too much coffee too late in the day and now I'm awake in the middle of the night. Happy Thanksgiving back at you!

Rage. Imbalance. Yes. Rage over exploitation, abuse of power, gutting/ravaging/glutting of resources? Yes. Rage over different beliefs? Maybe. Who was it who astutely observed that America became a player on the international scene using stolen capital . . . African blood and First Nations' land? Vine Deloria?

10 of Discs
Reversed

5 of Discs Prince 9 of Discs
Reversed of Wands Reversed
Reversed

6 of Swords

Prince of Wands (R) = cruelty, intolerance, idleness, prejudice, cowardice

Good night, Cherie

restoration42 said...

oops, the cards got smooshed together.

Lori Skoog said...

Fe...Because we have been so fortunate, I don't think many of us are capable of understanding what life feels like for people in other cultures. How many of us have been with no water or food....and had to stay inside because of all the guns going off around us. We don't have a clue. What determines involvement? I would have to say that we are spoiled.
Lori

CoyoteFe said...

Howdy, Cherie!
How long before we come together? Ever? Never? One day, only to break apart again? Is that why it is such a big world? But, we were doing this when the only people we knew were on the east rim and the west rim of the valley.

Egad! I hope that was not MY reading! :-)

CoyoteFe said...

Howdy, Lori -

Yes, we are citizens of the shining city. BUt sooner or later we have to open the gates ...