Each journey begins with a thought. Conscious or not. Space and time and being. The journey has already started, not of our own but that does not matter. It began on a beautiful day.
A beautiful day
It is a beautiful day for a walk
the sun is shinning
she steps out her door
and down the street.
He is walking towards her
they know each other
she smiles
he smiles
"Hello" she says
"Hi" is the reply
the knife slices open her belly
the child hits the pavement
he walks away
a tear in her eye
now dead
he sits on a bench
lays the knife beside him
and waits
sirens
wail
women scream
freedoms fall
the first policeman he shoots dead
the second he cripples
the third nothing
did not hear the blast
the man
the bench
gone
the neighbourhood
gone
freedoms gone
collateral damage
shrapnel
a woman looks down
her stomach sliced open
her child dying on the dirt
a tear in her eye
now dead.
freedoms
rights
gone.
Just a thought. Have we given up too many of our freedoms and rights out of fear of what may happen? Where has our courage gone to protect the democratic life that we have. It has given way to fear and overreaction. To live in a free and democratic society, we have to take responsibility for our well being, and that of all minorities within our societies, without curtailing those rights and freedoms that have been gained in the past. Take a close look to what governments have done, and what else they want to do. It is up to each of us to make our voices heard. If we do not now make our voices heard they may never be.
It does not matter your political stripe. What matters is that proper political discussions take place without the rhetoric .
There was an America philosopher John Dewey, one of the books he wrote is called "Freedom and Culture." It may be a good place to start, remembering the knowings, and knowledge of the past, or we may just have many more "beautiful days."
I am Douglas Loudon, have a good day
