Just so you don't think I'm over-reacting...Charles Manson recently refused to comment when asked what he thought about certain "current events" in the United States because (direct quote)
"It's all just too f**ked up for me, man."
So...there you have it.
How insane does it all have to be for "Charlie" to proclaim it too crazy.
From a gunman in Washington Naval Yard opening fire to a civilian running from a severe wreck...only to have a door slammed in his face...911 called...and the police showing up and shooting HIM...two unrelated incidents of infants being shot (point blank) during robberies...and two other of an Australian college student and an 88 year old war veteran being killed because the teens involved were BORED...A mother who recently killed her two young children over a custody dispute...A newly wed who killed her husband of eight days by shoving him off a cliff...and on a lesser but still related note...the nasty...rude...aggressive misinformed attacks on the recently crowned Miss America (...who although she descended from East Indian's is a NATURAL BORN American Citizen)...or the disparaging remarks concerning Miss Kansas' tattoo.
What does this all have in common, you ask?
In my opinion...the Kansas and Miss New York hatred and ugly ignorant comments are just the tip of the iceberg of a much bigger problem in the United States today...and the angry teens and men or women who are killing spouses, children, families and strangers are the culmination of that very same problem.
Bear with me.
The lines between civilization and completely uncivilized behaviour are increasingly blurring. Spend five minutes on any open forum (about anything) then tell me I am wrong. We are a nation divided into camps. Firmly entrenched. We are angry. Some of us don't even know what the hell we are angry about. Others parrot the latest Rush Limbaugh or Michael Moore observations. More and more we feel powerless. More often that not we are being told how powerless we are. We are starting to look at civility as weakness. We don't just disagree with our politicians (either side) we ridicule them. Attack our Country from within. And are so angry.
And, of course, we have people on the outside whipping that anger into a frenzy.
And the greed. And the Waste.
The HAVES ~vs~THE HAVE NOTS
The Christians ~vs~ The Muslims
The Blacks ~vs~ The Whites
The Straight~vs~ The Gays
United We Stand...The Melting Pot of The World?
(you're joking...right)
Is it any surprise that our young people become nihilistic?
Is is any surprise that the "fringe" in our society SNAP?
People so close to the edge that "one more thing" just sets them across that invisible line from rational behaviour to headline news.
And I do have
The Answer.
It is not going to fix everything for everyone forever.
A laudable Mission Statement...but no.
It will change a life.
Your life.
My life.
Our lives.
And maybe like ripples in a pond we can spread civility and positivity and lovingkindness and compassion in much the same way we have allowed ourselves to be sucked into this downward spiral.
So here is what we will do.
For 24 hours we are going to stop complaining. About EVERYTHING.
For 48 hours we are going to look around us and notice all the GOOD that is already in our lives...and we are going to be grateful for EVERYTHING we DO have instead of worrying/whining/wishing for something more.
For 72 hours we are going to realize GRATITUDE for all those things that either haven't happened to us...or that we have survived.
For the rest of the week we are going to revisit those manners we learned when we were children. We are going to get back to saying Please..and Thank You
and Your Welcome. (...not K and No Problem...) In short...we are going to get back to being NICE to each other again. And acting like civilized human beings. We are going to drop our preconceptions and not walk around judging everyone we meet/see/read about.We aren't going to walk around assuming the worse from each other.
And on the first weekend we are going to actively do something for another human being without any thought of reward for ourselves...but just because it is the right thing to do. And our mantra for the weekend is going to be that PEOPLE are more important than THINGS.
And on Sunday night before we sleep we are going to take a minute to reflect on the week. How our life feels. And then we are going to decide if that is the way we want to feel...or if we want to return to the status quo...
And make no mistake about it...even if we decide to continue this new path there are going to be moments. But hopefully our new behaviours will eventually surpass the old habits.
Will everyone decide to change.
Certainly not.
But you will and I will...and that is where it has to start.
With us.
