World Disorder

All Shapes And Sizes   rcw

There are riots happening all over the world.  People are taking to the streets with their frustrations, rightly so, at governments and institutions that enrich themselves at the expense of the working class and the poor.
In our own country, there are many who want to riot in solidarity with those in Tunisia, Greece, Egypt....the list goes on.

I remember in the '60s, participating in several of these demonstrations.  Some were peaceful enough; a few cat-calls from passers-by but not much else.  A few were not. These included up close and personal contact between police officers in riot gear and protesters with their signs.  As an observer, I can honestly say that billy clubs and poster sticks swung sometimes in equal measure. Although a majority of us tried to go the Gandhi/MLK route of nonviolence, a few just couldn't get the concept...just couldn't grasp what we were going for....sure made for great news coverage, but not the kind of coverage we were after.

So what's going on in this world of ours today?  Everybody is so keyed up....and of course the United States is being made out to be the bad guy...the "great satan."

And truth be told, our history is full of examples of abuse, of injustice and colonialism.  Name me one nation that hasn't had these things as part of their growing process.  "Everybody's doing it" is not an excuse.  It's a sad statement about our selves as a species, that we can't overcome this need to be at odds with one another.

I believe we can.  I believe we can learn how to be humane, fair, practical, tolerant, just and compassionate.
These traits aren't foreign to our nature, just not practiced.  We have the capability within ourselves to achieve greatness, if we only try.

So for today, Fifty Five Is The New World Disorder, because that's how it feels today...like the world is sick and we need to nurse her back to health...starting with ourselves.