Tuesday, July 3, 2007
On a lighter note...
A friend and I were talking about human atrocities throughout history and how when we look back it is inconceivable that mankind committed these acts: slavery, genocide, nuclear war. I always think about the possibility of my own complicity had I lived during those times. I could never be involved in such things. I would rise above the common thought of the crowds. But we are blind to the evil of our own times. What will our grandchildren say of this time in history? We allowed wars for oil, apathy towards African genocide, interminable imprisonments and torture of our alleged enemies, destruction of the planet, intolerance and unequal rights for gays, corporate greed, an isolationist bigotry towards foreigners and immigrants. I know in the past there were people who went against the government or fought racism and war, but history shows they weren't powerful enough to stop the horror of the moment. The majority let those in power have their way, just as our government has been given license to their wrongdoing through the manipulation of the masses. I hope to keep my eyes open, to be able to look back with a clear conscience that my attitude, my words, and my support were on the side of right.
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3 comments:
It's true. Very true. And it's frustrating when people can look back to see the glaring problems, but can't see the obvious parallels to current situations. "But civil rights doesn't apply to gays" or "It's not about oil, it's about democracy."
But a quick comparison of the basics of some of today's issues to yesterday's atrocities and there are no differences.
What can we do? We are a minority.
I remember when I read "Everything is Illuminated" thinking that an atrocity like the holocaust could never happen again. We're much too educated and civilized for that.
Then you look at Sudan, or Guantanamo, or any of the other countless injustices going on around the world and they just seem to be limitless and expanding.
I fear that we're just not as civilized as we've convinced ourselves we are. The few of us have to become the ones that shout our dissent! This country was founded on disagreement and we can't buy into the ideology of the herd.
Eventually the dissent is heard and the tide changes, but sadly it always seems to be after the peak of the tragedy. Something truly horrendous finally wakes people up, or the persistent protests of the minority, or the rousing of an apathetic superpower. We have short memories..
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