I was fourteen when I attended the only POTUS inauguration in my life, so far. 1961 – JFK. Robert Frost recited on that frosty day. Even as a freshman in high school then, I knew I was seeing something historic and meaningful. Imagine, we were in the crowd not more than fifty yards from JFK, LBJ, Ike, Dick Nixon, Harry Truman, Earl Warren, and others who were already or would be famous, or infamous. It was cold that day but the crowds were so tightly packed, we kept each other warm. As WASP kid from lily white homogeneous Hingham, MA, I could not help but notice that, there at the capital, we were ALL sorts of folks – men, women, elderly, young, every race…keeping each other warm.
JFK challenged us with that now famous phrase, “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what YOU can do for your country.” That’s why I’m here, with this blog.
Here we are, sixty years later. There will be no rainbow multi-generational crowds at The Capital on Wednesday; well, unless you count the 25,000 or so military troops who’ll prevent another attempted insurrectionist coup. The departing POTUS, will be taking his last Air Force One flight and won’t attend the swearing in of his replacement. Were I Joe Biden, I would be overjoyed to NOT have The Don on the podium anywhere near him.
Last spring, when we were a couple months into Covid, I had the crushing feeling that we were dealing with the very worst challenge of our lives, so far. I can barely remember the Korean War, but I remember well all the challenges and catastrophic events and righteous struggles of the late 50s, the 60s and 70s, right up to and including 911 in 2001. Covid was topping everything I’d seen in sixty years in terms of mass horrific impact, worldwide. My parents’ generation dealt with the Depression and WW2., and that was arguably worse than anything people from my generation to Gen-Zs had yet confronted. Of course, Covid’s not done with us quite yet. But…
Then came January 6, 2021. As a student of American history, I will now opine – Donald (Stormy’s John) trump brought America to its worst and most existentially threatening moment since the Civil War. I heard one pundit say variations on, “The Civil War never ended; it just paused….” and, in the last four years (a decade or more, if you go back to his “birther” lie, or even further back to “Execute the Centwsl Park 5”) Donald Trump has reignited the Civil War. I’m surprised he hasn’t excoriated Robert E Lee as a loser, and recommended that the surrender Lee and Grant signed be torn up.
So, here we are, at a fork on the path in our presently cold dark woods. Will we take the path to more darkness, or turn towards the light?
THIS BLOG HAS TWO MISSIONS: 1. To be a rallying place for people who share the concept that COOPERATION AND EMPATHY are as or more important than narcissistic “Lord of The Flies” competition; and 2. to inspire ourselves to take ACTION to re-open The Enlightenment and take it to new heights. NOTICE: This is NOT a “debate” site. If you, the reader, disagree with any point made here, have at it, share your view. You MAY or may not get a reply but if so, you’ll only get one. We are NOT going to go round and round trying to convince one another, and sure as hell will not tolerate red-faced anger and insults. Repeating – This blog is a place to share ideas and plans for taking action. We want to make specific realistic plans. Those who only want to argue or, worse, condemn others, please, don’t waste your or our time here; just go elsewhere.
CRITICAL FOUNDATION: I will be addressing all manner of social, political, cultural, and other issues and ideas; and I want all to know a few fundamentals:
Most important assumption – I believe that right out of the womb, every human being starts off the same. If a newborn of a billionaire mom in New York were spirited off to the Amazon jungle, that kid will grow up exactly like his or her mates in the jungle. The reverse is true too. Take a new born Amazonian indigenous newborn right out of the jungle, bring him/her up on Central Park West; he or she will have every chance to go to Princeton. Other than the fact that each of us humans varies in our own innate intelligence, personality, height, and such, those variations are spread evenly across all races, ethnic groups, and societies. Hate has to be taught. “Our group, our people, our religion, etc is better than yours.” That too has to be taught.
I hope to post one or two issues and action plans each week. The goal is for use share action ideas and HOW to actualize them!