When Do We Fight?

As the world bathes itself in the blood of innocents, ignoring their cries as they bleat acknowledgements to corrupt leaders, I ask: when do we fight?

Thinking Aloud

Hi!

Thanks for joining me on this lovely Tuesday afternoon. The sprogs are happy playing their Minecraft game together and I thought I’d take this opportunity to have a chat with you.

I’m worried.

Maybe that’s a bit of an understatement.

I am scared shitless!

Yup! That sounds closer to the truth. You see, there have been events around the world that have been drawing us closer to our own Armageddon and we are dancing around like blind mice up the yellow brick road towards our own damnation. Don’t worry. This is not going to get religious, nor is it going to get solicitous in my attempt to convince you of your own beliefs. This is just me…thinking.

Remember years ago when the world gasped in horror at the atrocities of the world wars, focusing on the nightmares that captured the headlines but silently ignoring those who escaped punishment for their crimes? Let’s move forward, closer to the end of the twentieth century when more atrocities were committed in Africa and Russia. Tribes died, religions were massacred. Only a few faced the consequences of these actions, but most escaped.

Here we sit, at the beginning of the twenty-first century and, as humans, our gills are still exposed. We haven’t evolved yet. Vile, money-hungry monsters rule the world, voted in by us, the so-called sensible voters. Spurned by those who didn’t bother lifting their voices against or for opponents, we live with the consequences and the divides now building momentum. A sad opportunity for morals to silently slip through the cracks, falling into the abyss, idly waiting beyond our narrow focal point. When are we going to grow as people? Not grow in ideals and constipated beliefs in our inflated self-worth and what we should be described as or not associated to – I mean actually grow in wisdom?

I sit here watching an eighteen year old and nine year old playing amicably. I listen to their banter and their observations of each other’s work as they build towns, cities, surviving and creating on a simple game. Simple life lesson: respect those around you and their views. It doesn’t mean you’re free from the effects of these beliefs or the consequences of fighting them. But it’s your reaction that dictates the next five minutes. Blowing up someone else’s home with TNT brings angry repercussions. So does killing your neighbour’s dogs because they constantly bark (all on Minecraft) or building your house on top of theirs because you like the space. What will I do when it becomes my real home, my real dog and…oh wait. This is already happening to people around the world. I’m just one of many in a privileged position where I can turn it off and ignore it. Pretend it’s not happening – the same way my forefathers ignored the atrocities of times past.

Like others, I sit here telling myself that one day it will all come to pass but, for now, I will just keep quiet. Why add my voice to the screaming masses when those cries fall on deaf ears? Then the what ifs haunt me. What if I stood up and said it is wrong to block people from a country when they are being persecuted in their own? What if I helped at food banks instead of complaining that we don’t have enough for another take out this week? What if I support others when they lose their houses, their jobs, their families because of the government’s need to feed their excuse factory and blame the parties in power before them whilst patting themselves on the back for doing the same thing? What if?

As I said at the beginning of this post, this is me just thinking. Thinking about how long we have before we destroy ourselves with our greed, arrogance and intolerance for each other. Maybe we should all skin each other and realise that underneath, we have have the same structure, disease and delinquencies. Black, white, brown, green, yellow, purple, blue; who cares? Male, female, both, none; who gives a shit? We’re all going to die anyway at the hands of those we put in power. What if, instead of focusing our anger on each other, we focus it on those in charge and make them accountable for the hatred they are generating with their generals of doom? A lot of what ifs. I wonder, if you were sitting here with me, what would you think?

 

The Voiceless

Trapped in a skin now slack
Barely enough movement in my back
Crowing noise is all I can say
To greet you through the day
Faces come and go
No kind word left to show
This fading memory
Of what I used to be.