Imagine if you would. You were born into a very wealthy family. You have never known a hard day in your life. You learned very well the lessons your father taught you, greed, hate, the love of power. You learned them so well you went to see a movie instead of going to your brother’s funeral.
You spent your life in pursuit of money and fame no matter the cost to obtain them. You put hundreds of small business owners out of business so you could pocket a few thousand dollars more. Your love of money is only trumped by your need for adoration. You’ve created a life without friends, just associates who share your avarice towards anyone unlike them. You let nothing stand in your way of achieving the destruction of those that interfere with your lust for riches and power.
Can you put yourself there? REALLY, REALLY TRY. Is this the life you cherish? The one you’ve always dreamed of? Would you be happy with such a life? Would you want such a person as a friend or mentor? Would you vote for a person like this to ascend to the most powerful position in the world?
Think about it. Think of what you could do if you were just like that and had control of the most powerful government in the world. Nothing would stop you from destroying all your supposed enemies and “cutting deals” to enrich yourself beyond your wildest imaginations. The wreckage you would leave behind would be like a speck of dust to you because you would force the downtrodden to bow down to your almightiness. Doesn’t that make you lick your chops just thinking that could be you?
Trump’s Ivory Tower
Isn’t this the most wonderful life you could imagine? Being adored by the downtrodden, concerned every minute of the day where your next dollar is coming from as you sit isolated in your ivory tower surrounded by portraits of yourself? Making devious plans to slander anyone with enough gumption to expose your heart of callosity? What could be better than that? Doesn’t that sound like anyone’s dream come true? Who in their right minds would not love such a life?
Love and companionship are so overrated. So is the feeling of accomplishment after a hard day’s work. And who really likes helping a friend or neighbor in need. We all know that is just another burden to bear. And really, who wants to drive their own car when you can be chauffeured everywhere? How boring would that be?
I am sure I have gotten my point across by now. We would all love to have a life of money and fame at the expense of all else. Right?
No one is welcome in America anymore. No one wants to come to America anymore.
Democracy has become an American illusion under the auspices of President Trump. Americans have watched with rose-colored glasses as Trump has systematically dismantled their cherished democracy. Gone are the days when Americans took to the streets to defend their cherished Bill of Rights. Now, today as you read this, Americans have decided that instead of fighting for their holy Constitution they would rather spend their time on Facebook and Twitter. As if that would somehow sway a dictator in waiting who has caged children, or attacked every American no matter their race, religion, or political affiliation that does not bow before the lord and master. One who has put Gestapo like troops into the cities of America.
Democracy is messy. I was fortunate to see that mess in action as a young American man in the late 60s and early 70s when I marched in Viet Nam protests. The youth of that time were far more aware politically and historically. It was not just the war we were protesting. It was the government’s actions to send our young to die in a war only fought to protect American mining interest. I am still so proud to have lived in a time when the youth, black and white, fought for what is spelled out in the Constitution.
Today, America’s youth seems far more content to let their country collapse in the sinkhole that is Trump’s Washington. From the first day in office, he began to dismantle the government by replacing non-partisan diplomats that had decades of experience with loyal lackeys that only care about pleasing the king while enriching themselves in the process. This led to his takeover of the Justice Department and State Department. The capable men and women that were not let go quit after trying their best to keep things afloat. Their moral character would not allow them to participate in the destruction of what they had fought and worked for most of their adult lives.
And like any good authoritarian Trump has used the apathy Americans have displayed to put a stranglehold on what was once the “shining city on the hill’. No one is welcome in America anymore. No one wants to come to America anymore. Many Americans’ with the means to do so are retiring out of the country. The world looks in horror at the destruction of America. They simply cannot fathom why the American people are not surrounding the Capitol every day demanding Trump’s removal. The answer is relatively simple. And no, it is not the fact that Americans never had to stand up and fight for their democracy like most of the global democratic countries, although that is certainly part of the equation. It is simply this, the rich and powerful have become far richer and more powerful under Trump’s guidance.
There are exceptions. There are people in government and in corporate management that still fight for the civil rights of Americans. Day by day their numbers are dwindling, and their efforts are being attacked or stifled at every turn by the autocratic machine now running the government.
Black Lives Matter Protest
Most Americans have shuttered the portions of their brains that are screaming at them 24 hours a day to wake up. They stutter as if sleepwalking while being quite content in their nonchalance. If not for the Black Lives Matter movement one would think the whole country’s water supply was being drugged with sedatives.
The atrocious handling of the COVID-19 crises by Trump is unquestionably intentional to anyone willing to look past their nose. It was a godsend for Trump. It was a perfect distraction to hide all the machinations he has done behind the scenes to gut the government of the dedicated, professional employees, only to replace them with his cronies willing to do anything to defend his defenseless actions. These attacks came at the expense of the departments that were the bedrock of American democracy, until Trump. The independent Justice Department that is the first line of defense from autocrats. The National Security organizations that protect the country from outside influences. The FBI, the leading law enforcement team. The United States Postal Service signed into law by George Washington. As an American, I can firmly state that no government organization has operated more efficiently than the Post Office. Trump went to work immediately on all these institutions. Institutions created to keep the country’s democracy safe. Are you beginning to see the picture now?
If Trump is still in office at the time of the election, he will tie up the results in court while at the same to securing his wall of defense around the White House. His and his buddy Putin’s propaganda machine will be raging on Twitter and Facebook 24/7 and he will be encouraging his rabid followers to arm themselves and take to the streets. For those who lack historical context we have seen this movie before, and it is about to play out in the streets of the United States. The ending is never pleasant and always leads to authoritarianism.
This is your future Americans. This is what will happen if you fail to grow a conscience and march in the millions to Washington D.C. The only way to get your country back is to frighten the rich and powerful and make them understand that without you they have nothing. If you believe you have too much to lose by doing so, consider how much you may lose by not doing so. Just your country. No big deal, right?
For over two centuries America has been proud to be the “land of the free.” The world looked upon America as the beacon of light. With one glaring exception. The ever prominent and glaring failings of how it dealt with racism. This is true to this day as racism is still haunting America.
During the 1800s there was a global consciousness weaving a path that led to many countries first abolishing slave trading, then to the emancipation of slaves. It was not until 1926 that the League of Nations adopted the Slavery Convention abolishing all slavery. Eventually, in 1948 the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which includes an article stating, “No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.”
Just what makes America unique among nations that propagated slavery? The most glaring event was the Civil War. No other country in the world considered warring against itself to defend slavery. Since the Civil War, the South has been adamant that the war was fought over state’s rights. This is simply not true. Without slavery the economy of the Southern states would have collapsed. And it did exactly that after the war. Had these states not received war reparations they likely would never have recovered.
But the Civil War was not alone in shaming the United States. All its Founding Fathers except for John Adams, Samuel Adams, and Thomas Paine were slave owners. It seems that creating a government based on “all men are created equal” was hypocritical to the nth degree. The cry for liberty did not include the hundreds of thousands in bondage. To be fair the British Crown was delighted to reap the benefits of slavery as well at the time and did not abolish slavery until 1807. While they officially abolished it to ease their guilt the practice still thrived. The economies of both the colonies and the crown were heavily dependent on the by-products of slavery. Slavery was alive and well in England and the newly formed American states which went on to be a benefit for both countries after the Revolutionary War.
America finally abolished slavery when the 13th amendment to the Constitution was ratified on December 6, 1865, eight months after President Lincoln’s assassination and the end of the Civil War. Though legal ownership and servitude ended, the freed slaves mostly remained as underpaid and still abused workers on the plantations. The amendment did abolish chattel slavery throughout the United States. That did not stop the use of other factors such as Black Codes, white supremacist violence, and selective enforcement of statutes that continued to subject many black Americans to involuntary labor, especially in the South.
The Black Codes were established in the South during the first two years after the Civil War. This fact alone should put to rest that the South did fight the Civil War over slavery. These codes were virtually the same as the slave codes. They were intended to limit the freedman from movement, thus making every effort to have political dominance while suppressing their newly gained freedoms. Found within these codes was the vagrancy law. This broad law allowed local authorities to arrest freed people for any minor infraction. This permitted them to be committed to involuntary labor. This in turn led to the convict lease system, which was just another name for slavery. I could go on for pages as to the efforts the South made to ensure that slavery was not dead, just renamed. Through Jim Crow and the Klu Klux Klan the South made a supreme effort to keep the status quo.
The post-Civil War years saw a flood of States passing laws inhibiting blacks. Though they were no longer “owned”, they were hardly free to pursue the American dream. Most historians point to these laws as being suppressive. They were intended to be just that. But what is not explored enough is the why.
Why were so many laws created to separate the white and black communities? This is seldom explored. It is my belief that fear was the driving factor. Fear of “others.” For all the dominance achieved by the white race in North America, they displayed a vast amount of insecurities. Economic issues certainly must enter the equation. In one fell swoop, many landowners lost their free source of labor. As important as that was, it was not as big a blow like the one that hit their egos. They simply could not fathom a world where black men could be their equals under the law. These feelings are still all too prevalent throughout the South today.
The black race in America has been persecuted systematically in one form or another since before the “first” slave ship arrived in Jamestown in 1619. The Spanish had brought African slaves into Florida as early as 1526. The plight of blacks in America has been one of suppression for centuries.
Events during the 20th century created more opportunities for blacks in America and provided more situations that forced the white community to observe blacks in a different light. The first major event was WWI when more than 350,000 blacks served admirably. Though most were segregated and performed menial tasks there were thousands that saw the battlefield. There is nothing like war conditions to create a bond of companionship. White men came home having shared a foxhole with a black man. Both relying on each other to make it through the day alive.
Then came the Great Depression when people of every race stood in breadlines. It was a humbling experience for whites to find themselves poor and destitute. The blacks spent most of their lives poor and destitute. They adapted to the situation easier than the white population. FDR’s New Deal was a boon for blacks. Ten percent of funds for the Work Progress Administration went to the black community, which was equal to ten percent of the population that was black. In June of 1941, he also issued Executive Order 8802, which created the Fair Employment Practice Committee. It was the most important federal move in support of the rights of Black Americans between Reconstruction and the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Next up was World War II. This was a real eye-opener for the black men in America. Once again, they were segregated and for the most part, left to menial tasks. Civil rights activists pushed the government for integration, but the military was largely led by Southern commanders that got their way and the blacks once again were under the influence of Jim Crow. The major lesson that the blacks serving in the war and after the war in Europe was the recognition and acceptance they received from the German people. The Germans did not see their skin color; they saw the uniform of the nation that helped free their country from the Nazis. Many of these soldiers would have preferred to stay in Germany rather than come home to the racism they would face returning to America. Upon returning these men became the next generation of civil rights leaders the likes of which Martin Luther King Jr. had the privilege of their wisdom.
Black Platoon In World War II
Few people in the history of the planet made as much of an impact as Martin Luther King Jr. His unwavering dedication to God, justice for all, and peaceful demonstration changed America forever. His place in history is forever cemented as one of the great leaders and orators of all time. His power of persuasion was nearly as great as his power to compel those in opposition to see his point of view. Like so many great leaders, men of all persuasions flocked to his side and fought for equal justice for the black community. I was fifteen years old in 1968 when MLK and Bobbie Kennedy were assassinated. The death of these two men and the fiasco that was Viet Nam made for what was truly a horrible time in America and made an indelible mark in my life and in the nation.
On the backs of giants, the black community is making strides. Sadly, they are all fought for by tooth and nail. They are slowly gaining more seats in Congress, and saw Barack Obama, the first black president elected. The Black Lives Matter movement is now gaining support throughout the country from the white community as more horrific events of racial injustices are being exposed. It has been a long and arduous journey for black people in America. The fight continues but racism is still haunting America.
If all the holes are round Why did God make square pegs? If we were all meant to conform Why are there two genders and five races?
Some square pegs, to name a few… Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed DaVinci, Rembrandt, Picasso Columbus, Newton, Einstein The Founding Fathers of America Beethoven, Bach, The Beatle’s Queen Elizabeth I, Susan B, Anthony, Rosa Parks
So as a parent, will you encourage your child to conform? Or challenge conformity?
Most citizens of earth have never heard of Freedom House. They are a wonderful and necessary watchdog for all freedom lovers. Their organization has been around since 1941. Over the last 14 years, they found that political freedoms and civil liberties across the world are in decline more often than they are improving. Its opening statement in the 2020 report by Sarah Repucci stated, “Democracy and pluralism are under assault. Dictators are toiling to stamp out the last vestiges of domestic dissent and spread their harmful influence to new corners of the world.”
As the world stutters in disbelief by how Americans are allowing Trump to obliterate democracy in the United States, many other countries are also seeing the same attack on their democratic governments. This is the history of democracies. They all fail. When those in office learn that they can enrich themselves at the expense of the citizens their greed and lust for power becomes the driving factors over concerns for their constituents.
This was on full display not long ago historically speaking. Democracy nearly died on a global level in the 1920s and 1930s. The world experienced a short burst of democratic governments after WWI when the several new nations were birthed from the peace agreement. At the time there was a subdued euphoria that as more democracies formed throughout the globe the world would become less tyrannical. But this was noticeably short lived indeed. Albania, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, and Yugoslavia all had short lived democracies.
This also affected more established democracies in Europe that were suffering mightily from the effects of the WWI. It took just a matter of months for Mussolini to take over Italy in 1922. By 1930 there was a global discussion that society as whole may break down and cease to function. In 1932 Mussolini was quoted as saying “The liberal state is destined to perish”. And it was. By 1933 Hitler rose to power. Authoritarian regimes took over Portugal, Spain, and Uruguay. Democracies cratered in Greece, Estonia, Latvia, and Romania.
Mussolini Captures Rome
It was not all peaches and cream in America. American democracy was brought to its knees from corruption, inequality, racial injustice, indifference, corporate monopolies, massive unemployment, and a starving population. Fascism and Communism were growing in America. Blacks were questioning democracy. Rightfully so since they had no role in it since the founding of the country. Make no mistake, American democracy was on the brink of extinction.
The same year Hitler took power FDR gave his first inaugural address when he stated, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself”. America needed to hear that as fears were rampant throughout the country. Most newspapers and radio broadcasts were questioning if “it could happen here”. Business leaders were skeptical of the New Deal as they saw it as a means to check their cozy deals they built through past administrations, attacking it as unconstitutional. The black and brown communities felt again left out, at best.
Does this look familiar? America is in the throes of this right now. Massive employment, an economy just a hairs breath away from collapse, a Republican party so inept it cannot even settle anything within its own factions, and company owners of Facebook and Amazon profiting billions during all of it. Just as I write this article news came out that the United States just had the worse quarter ever in its economy, seeing a 32.9% drop in GDP. After all the years that passed, America still has racial injustice. And Trump is following Hitler’s playbook as if he wrote it himself by stoking fear and unrest throughout the country by targeting “others”, using federal agents (just like Hitler’s SS) to stoke aggression in American cities, and caging children. In modern history only two countries have caged children, Hitler’s Germany, and Trump’s America.
From his first day in office Trump has made nice with the autocrats of the world while dismissing and denigrating our democratic allies. In an international television broadcast, he sold out his own intelligence community to make Vladimir Putin look good. He nearly took down NATO. And throughout all this the Republican party has been complicit. Their only interest in the last 30 years has been to profit from their positions in office by delivering drastic tax cuts that largely benefitted their rich donors. History will not look favorably upon them.
And now the world is faced with the worse pandemic in 100 years. It has put a strain on every country no matter politics. Just this week the United States death toll passed the death toll of the 19-year Vietnam War. And it only took six months! Trump has led America to the #1 standing in the world. How many Americans do you think are proud of that?
Trump is doing everything in his power to abolish democracy. I believe his poor response to the pandemic is intentional, hoping it affects the election. His utter contempt for the people of his country is on full display. His policy regarding the Post Office is slowing mail delivery, thus hoping to hamper the voter count in November. Americans need to see what’s right in front of their eyes. And they need to wake up before Kris Kristofferson’s lyrics “freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose” that Janis Joplin made so famous becomes our reality.
Rural America is not in decline. It is already dead. For years now there have been countless articles from multiple sources contemplating the dire situation of rural America. The typical questions raised were, can rural America rebound, can rural America recover, will rural America ever return to its glory days, why don’t rural Americans relocate?
All good questions. All bad answers. Let us face facts, none of which rural communities across the country want to hear. It is too late. Yes, too late for rural communities to return to their heyday. For a quarter of a century the state of rural America has been experiencing a shrinking and aging population, less productivity, incomes on the decline, growing drug use and rising crime rates. To make matters even worse the trade policies of Trump’s administration has devastated farmers across the country, many selling out to the corporate giants.
Rural America, for all the reasons previously mentioned, is also bleeding their best and brightest. Students fortunate enough to go to college rarely return to their hometowns. While at university they were exposed to a new world. One that included people that did not look like them, that shared experiences they never dreamed of, and opportunities they never knew existed.
Most rural Americans will look to find blame for all of this elsewhere. But it is the rural mindset that is the major reason for the death of rural America. The vast majority want their neighbors to look like them, think like them, share their faith and politics and are less than inviting to those that do not. In other words, they are set in their ways. The problem they face is that the world around them is growing in ways they refuse to adapt to. What business would want a workforce that is less educated and less likely to adapt to the modern and ever-changing technologies and socioeconomic diversity in today’s business world? Very few, unless they want to take advantage of the lower wages they will pay in rural communities.
The last time rural counties experienced a significant economic growth rate was in the early to mid-1990s. Since then all those gains have been decimated. In an article penned by the New York Times in 2018, the author made a striking observation still relevant today. “No one – not experts or policymakers or people in these communities – knows quite how to pick rural America up.” Two years later it is safe to say rural America is dead.
Rural Americans are not doomed to the same fate. They have a choice. They can stay and try to eke out a meager living where job opportunities are shrinking, healthcare facilities are limited, and hope for a brighter future for themselves and their children is just that, hope. Or they relocate. They take that scary step to build a better life for their families outside their comfort zones. For decades now a large percentage of economic growth has been achieved in the metropolitan areas of the United States. This should be no surprise as these areas have greater tools at their disposal. High-speed internet, greater educational opportunities, union trade schools, superior infrastructure. Everything that businesses use to their advantage.
I retired from Chicago to a small rural community of 12,000 in the Ozarks ten years ago. I like the area. It is beautiful and the winters are mild compared to Chicago. But, to make a point about the aging of rural America over 50% of the population is over 50 years old. I have seen small businesses come and go with a surprisingly rapid rate. I also see a level of mediocrity within the business community. They can settle for being “okay” because there is not a high level of competition. The vast majority of those doing business in this rural town would not last a month in Chicago. I only mention this to drive home the fact this is just one more example of why rural America is dead. It is not meant to disparage those working hard to keep their businesses afloat.
Like the businesses they patronize rural Americans are settling for mediocrity. They make excuses as to why it is so great to live where they live. I have heard them all. Less traffic, less crime, more freedom, blah, blah, blah. Let’s break this down. No doubt there is less traffic. It is because there is nowhere to go and far fewer people going there. There is less crime, but not necessarily per capita and this will be especially true as poverty continues to grow in rural America. And more freedom? Really? Freedom to do what exactly? Work for poverty-level wages even if you can get a job? Freedom to fly the flag or own a gun? You can do that anywhere.
Now, to be honest, as an old retired guy, I am grateful for the ease of which I can get around. It takes me ten minutes tops to get anywhere I need to go. And that is why rural America is aging. More retired folks are relocating to areas like the one I live in for a less hectic life where taxes and real estate are less costly.
I and others in my position have several advantages over most rural Americans. We came from areas where decades of high wage earnings and in many cases pensions that allowed for comfortable retirements. We do not work for low wages unless we choose to just to keep busy. We have the freedom to travel when we choose. We are not bound by our surroundings.
Because of my rural experience I have come to understand that for most younger rural folks making a move to “the big city” can be a daunting task. That is largely due to a mindset that is reflecting on what they would miss if they moved.
What they fail to focus on is what they can gain. The opportunity to have more fulfilling careers, a chance for greater educational opportunities, better schools for their children, a growing social environment with world-class museums, theaters, sporting events, travel options, and more.
The emergence of COVID-19 will exacerbate the problems rural America will now face. Cash strapped states (more likely to be rural ones) will need to allocate their tax dollars where it will benefit the most people. That will be in their metropolitan regions. Any infrastructure projects in rural communities could very likely be put on hold or abandoned altogether. Rural school districts that receive state aid could find themselves in dire straits. In any case, the COVID economy will most certainly hurt small-town America harder.
Sadly, most rural inhabitants will never experience all the advantages a metropolitan life offers. They simply don’t know what they don’t know. I fear that soon they will have little choice as rural America is dead. It won’t be long before America will have more ghost towns to visit.
Mom and Dad, there are so many things I never thought to ask I was busy then trying to answer who am I Not wondering about the past
Now I find myself in my twilight years Wishing once again you were still here Just to come back to the feeling of home That I’ve missed now for so many years
Time and space seem meaningless in moments So clear to me now upon reflection It’s not just your wisdom I yearn for again It’s your hugs and kisses I shared so many times with you
Dad, I would ask if you were still here with me What got you through each day while away In World War II, never having met your newborn boy yet And how badly you missed mom, the love of your life
And how you managed to glide through life No matter what came along the way With an easy grace and a smile on your face Handshakes and hugs that lit the way
And Mom, I would ask of you How you got through each day With dad so far and in harm’s way While raising your baby boy alone
These and so many things I never thought to ask I was busy then creating a life Not wondering about the past
Both of you set the stage For me to be the star in a life filled with love For this my gratitude is limitless Forever will you be in my heart
I understand that the two you Were the building blocks that formed Just who I am, the man I’ve become It won’t be long now before we meet again
The year 2020 has introduced to the world the notion that selfishness will not be sustainable in our futures. And for many in a world where most of its citizens spend many of their waking hours in pursuit of worldly riches, it has come as an eye-opening shock.
Now it is certainly possible that our species will continue its unwavering selfishness into the abyss. We have proven time and again throughout our history on this planet that the interest of the few outweighs those of the many.
What the COVID-19 virus has proven to all of us is if we are to survive as a species, we must have a serious attitude adjustment. Aside from the virus, we are on the verge of eliminating most of the plant and animal species that allow us to flourish. These are sources we cannot live without as they provide us food, medicines, the very air breathe. The planet’s largest producer of oxygen, the Amazon Rainforest, is in real danger. The fires that have been burning for over a year may be worse in 2020. It’s too early for a verdict, but as of now, threats to the Brazilian Amazon are growing virtually unchecked while the COVID-19 pandemic deepens. As the virus spreads, land grabbing is rampant and there is no sign of deforestation slowing. On the contrary: numbers skyrocketed during the first quarter of 2020.
It has also brought home a particularly important lesson. Put aside politics and listen to the scientists. When you ponder this, it will make sense. What do politicians know about? Go ahead, take your time. Are you still struggling for an answer? I figured as much. Let us compare them to scientists who attended the best of our universities, spent decades researching their specialties, and did so not in the pursuit of fame and fortune, but of knowledge which the world can benefit from. Seriously, how can this even be an issue?
Unless every person begins to do their part to salvage this planet, our world is on the brink of extinction. Even today as I write this article 39 out of every 1,000 children will die before they reach the age of five. And this from preventable illnesses like diarrhea, pneumonia, and malaria. One-third of the urban population on earth is living in a slum where disease if far more likely to spread.
But this virus is just a warning to us all. Aside from the very real possibility of more deadly viruses in our future, global warming is by far the biggest threat to everything living thing on this planet. What we now know is that climate predictions from as far back as 50 years have proven accurate. All the past modeling of climate change has been accurate to date. And the climate predictions for our near future indicate a world where few species may survive.
In the World Meteorological Organization Statement of 2019, the United Nations Secretary-General stated: “Statement by the United Nations Secretary-General Climate change is the defining challenge of our time. Time is fast running out for us to avert the worst impacts of climate disruption and protect our societies from the inevitable impacts to come. Science tells us that, even if we are successful in limiting warming to 1.5 °C, we will face significantly increased risks to natural and human systems. Yet, the data in this report show that 2019 was already 1.1 °C warmer than the pre-industrial era. The consequences are already apparent. More severe and frequent floods, droughts and tropical storms, dangerous heatwaves and rising sea levels are already severely threatening lives and livelihoods across the planet. We are currently way off track to meeting either the 1.5 °C or 2 °C targets that the Paris Agreement calls for. We need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45% from 2010 levels by 2030 and reach net zero emissions by 2050. And for that, we need political will and urgent action to set a different path. This report outlines the latest science and illustrates the urgency for far-reaching climate action. It brings together data from across the fields of climate science and lists the potential future impacts of climate change – from health and economic consequences to decreased food security and increased displacement. I call on everyone – from government, civil society, and business leaders to individual citizens – to heed these facts and take urgent action to halt the worst effects of climate change. We need more ambition on mitigation, adaptation, and finance in time for the climate conference (COP26) to be held in Glasgow in November. That is the only way to ensure a safer, more prosperous, and sustainable future for all people on a healthy planet.” Click here to read the whole report.
This does not consider the mass migrations that will occur due to the natural disasters that will ravage rural areas and the rising ocean levels where 70% of the population of the earth live. The metropolitan areas will be consumed by this migration. World hunger will soar, regional wars will be on a global scale, and a sense of doom will descend on humanity.
To put all this in perspective, a betting man would not put favorable odds of survival for a baby born in 2020 to make it through the 2050s. Unless of course drastic action is taken immediately on a global scale. None of this takes into account this will have on all the systems we rely on today. Banking, healthcare, jobs, and the economy will be drastically affected if not completely obliterated.
I have written this article with the intent to not only educate but to scare the crap out of you. This isn’t some “thing” a politician can lie his way out of. The last 50 years of scientific data have proven that climate change models work. So my question is simply this. What are you going to do about it?
Imagine if you would…that you are an artist. Yes, a brilliant artist capable of creating masterpieces that would inspire all future generations. The next Divinci. Or perhaps a musician that can compose an opera equal to Mozart’s “The Magic Flute”. Or that your oration skills would even surpass Cicero’s. Imagine if you could pen a poem the equal of Emily Dickinson…” Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul, and sings the tunes without the words, and never stops at all”.
What makes the artist, musician, speaker, or writer capable of greatness? Do they possess unique skills that the average person is incapable of? Do they have privileged knowledge most of us do not have access to? Or can it be simply that they are in tune to an intuitive nature within themselves that most are not aware of?
To quote Richard Bach ~ “ Argue for your limitations and sure enough they are yours”. How many times do you find yourself telling yourself “I can’t do that”. Or I could never be…fill in the blank. I am sure most of you have seen the Paralympic Games and how inspiring it is to see the disabled refusing to wallow in self pity and instead choose to pursue great achievements despite their handicaps.
Throughout our lifetimes we “receive” hints, suggestions, guidance from our inner self. Only those attuned to those “feelings” will listen. Most pass them off within seconds and chalk it up to silliness. Those fortunate enough to realize their good fortune allow themselves moments of grace and humility in the presence of something greater than flesh and bones. And just what is that exactly? It is you, and me. It is simply our spiritual essence attempting to guide and enlighten us. The vast majority of those reading this will think it is folly. For those who have nurtured this relationship you know of what I speak.
Does anyone who believes in God in any form perpetrated by religions throughout the millennia think that the Almighty would just willy-nilly slap together universes of who knows how many species of beings and just wash his hands and say…”good luck you all.” My religious friends of many faiths will say he gave us a few prophets that came to guide us. Did they? Or were they simply further along the path of enlightenment and chose to share their wisdom.
Or do you seriously think that this is the only plane of existence for a soul to maneuver through? Yes, we are made in the likeness of God. It is not the other way around though humans since the beginning of our time on earth have given God human qualities. How silly. We as souls are in his likeness, not our temporary shells used like lessons in book until we learn what we need to and move on to the next chapter.
Imagine if you would that within you is the ability to experience infinite love. Not some cheap selfish human version of love, but divine love that has no attachments and knows no boundaries. Imagine what you could accomplish when infinite wisdom is at your disposal. Everything positive that has occurred in your life has been a result of love and/or wisdom gained. It is up to each of us to explore the endless possibilities we have been provided. Imagine if you would you are a great explorer.
Now that professional sports in America are now trying to get their seasons underway while dealing with COVID-19, it got me to thinking about how my view of sports has changed as of late. I am still a sports fan and missed sports during their necessary shutdown. The shutdown also gave me time to reflect on sports as a whole.
When 2020 began it was the start of the seventh decade in my life that I have been watching sports. Having been born, raised, and lived in Chicago most of my life I was fortunate to have access to multiple TV broadcasts and live events of multiple sports during my life. I was six years-old when the White Sox went to the World Series in 1959. All the games started around 2:30 PM. I remember running home after school to catch the games. At that time, an MLB game averaged just 2 hours. Pitching duels were even shorter. Commercials were few and far between. Many games saw the starting pitchers on the mound for nine innings. Batters did not step out of the box after every pitch to play with their gloves (there wasn’t any). Pitchers did not feel the need to take a nap between pitches. I look back to those days with fond memories when the greatest game ever invented (the only game where a defense controls the ball) dominated the sporting world in America.
It just so happened that also in 1959 all the Chicago Bears and NY Giants games were broadcast for the first time. The Bears were pretty bad through the 1950s, but when I was ten in 1963, they won the NFL Championship, thus cementing by loyalty to the team through the years. By this time, I was already an AFL fan. The AFL was far more fun to watch. They were already signing big-time college players and the offenses were innovative. Back then the commercials were far fewer and broadcasts shorter. Now we have 3-hour games with 11 minutes of action and 100+ commercials in them. As great as the athletes are these days I have yet to see one on the field greater than either Jim Brown and Gale Sayers were.
Broadcasts of NBA games trickled through the 1960’s. It was not until 1965 that a Sunday game would be broadcast and those would often include either the Boston Celtics or Lakers. Even with this limited lineup I saw two of the all-time great teams play.
Like the NBA hockey broadcasts were sporadic during the 1960’s. But my Blackhawks with Hall of Famers Bobby Hull, Stan Makita and Glenn Hall won the Stanley Cup in 1961. Following that event, I went to an autograph signing with my Cub Scout troop to a bank where the entire team was signing autographs. A true childhood highlight.
Today, all these sporting leagues have sold their souls to corporate America. The leagues and too often the players have forgotten their roots. Their entertainment value has more to do with production than product. How many sponsors they shove into a single broadcast as opposed to putting the best product on the field/court. Professional sports are just a money grab these days.
Forgotten is the what made all these sports great. All the things that collected fans of different centuries. The first is the unfettered love of the game by the ones playing it. There were not any big paydays in the early days of any sports. They were played by people that loved the game so much they would often play as amateurs long before professional leagues were established. I seriously doubt that today’s professional athletes love their sport as much as they did when they were playing in Little League and other childhood leagues. Their love of the game has been filtered by the business side of their chosen profession. College scholarships, agents, contractual obligations, interviews, travel, time away from family. I still do believe their competitive nature kicks in when the step on the field/court.
Franchises that are worth insane amounts of money have made sport’s teams more valuable than many other types of businesses. And they have accomplished this while they sell you on team loyalty, even though they might put a lousy product on the field/court year after year.
One positive aspect of all this is that sports and their spin-off industries employ many people. And I still love sports. But I find it hard to watch a three-hour baseball or football game without recording it and fast forwarding through all the commercials. To be honest, I do this with almost every sporting event I watch these days.
In closing, I believe that sports, like nearly everything money touches, has lost its soul. We have been bombarded by constant access to the sales machine. Instead of fans, many have become addicts. This summer (if COVID-19 allows) I am going to go to Little League games and try to remember what it was like when I was really, truly, in love with sports.
