TENACITY

(11,21,2021) Tenacity, as in the situation with America’s Republican Representative, Liz Cheney, who maintains her persistence in holding to the noble values, such as honour, truth and justice, regardless of the adversity from her peers, and the resulting ostracism, is a most commendable trait. It is a sad commentary when the hundreds of Republicans, in Congress and the Senate, are unable to demonstrate the same quality as Liz Cheney! I have no doubt that, if there were more women like her in charge of the nations of the world, there would be less cause for division and war mongering. On the eleventh day of this month, nations around the world took time to remember and honour the fallen soldiers who fought and died in the hope that their sacrifice would help bring about a free world, a place where future generations could live in peace. Does anyone remember the phrase, “The war to end all wars”? What a colossal misnomer that was! Every day, as it has been for thousands of years, young women and men are still sent out to fight and die for their country. If it were the politicians who had to be placed on the front lines, wars would be ended much quicker! In fact, I think that they would be more inclined to avoid war altogether! If the nations’ leaders truly wanted to do something more substantial, than saluting a plaque commemorating the fallen, why don’t they see to it that the dead soldiers’ sacrifices were not in vain? Anything less, leaves one to wonder, “What did they die for?” When you take a look around, nothing seems to have changed. Except for a few neutral countries, nearly every country, on Earth, is at war with one or more countries. Many of these countries have only ever known war. Think of the children born into these ravaged nations, and how they can have no concept of what it must be like to live even one day in peace and harmony. Many of these children are forced to take up weapons as soon as they are old enough to carry a gun, some times even before that. Unfortunately, they know of no other way to survive. If they wish to eat and continue living, then they must do this. These poor unfortunates have never known what it is like to leisurely walk in a garden, while digesting a full meal, happily taking in the scents and beauty of the surroundings, content in the embrace of peace and silence, save for the songs of the birds, buzzing of bees and rustling of leaves. Try to imagine a young child’s delight at discovering, for the first time, the resplendent beauty of a monarch butterfly as it lands on her hand and spreads its wings. The majority of children, in most of today’s war-torn and autonomous countries, have lived and will die without ever having known such simple contentment. And many more will be born into the same sort of grief-stricken societies where you fight to survive or be swept away. That is, unless more forthright and righteous people, such as Liz Cheney, band together to form a tenacious hold on the greedy power brokers of the world and remove their ability to pit nation against nation, brother against sister, and, thereby create a world-wide united nation free of boundaries. One unlike the League of United Nations which we have today, where they all squabble amongst each other, never seeming to really accomplish anything. But, rather one global nation, without borders, where any person, regardless of sex, race, colour or creed, is free to walk where they please and choose a vocation to their liking, knowing that everyone will be provided for equally. You might say that I am just dreaming of the ultimate Utopian paradise that could not possibly exist, especially in today’s hostile environment. And yet, that is exactly what has been promised to us by means of every religious text on Earth today. Each one of these tomes subscribes to the prophecy that righteousness will triumph over evil during the Day of Enlightenment. And then, “The meek shall inherit the Earth!” Sound familiar? Yes! Indeed! Judgement will befall the wicked ones and the righteous shall prevail! Wouldn’t you want to be there, standing upright, when this happens? I am not talking about a world organization which controls the conglomerate of greedy cartels who run the world. I am speaking of an idealistic society, a global unification ruled under a government of devotees. If one eliminates the need for want, then the formerly mentioned group is eradicated and you are left with the latter, a global collective of devoted people dedicated to the interests of all people, treating them equally as one. There are already a few countries, which I should mention, that deserve credit for their socialistic approach to working with and for their people. Denmark and Switzerland, while remaining neutral (war free), have made many strides forward and, if any good could have come out of the Korean war, it is the fact that South Korea has become a very advanced nation, not just in science and medicine, but in its philosophical and logical treatment of the needs of their people. Of course, the opposite of this is, North Korea who is only interested in spending all of the country’s money on proliferating weapons while their people starve and die in labour camps. Meanwhile, China, who supports North Korea, is still playing the bully, illegally acquiring more land. Although these tactics didn’t pan out well for Russia, with the fall of their republic in the eighties, the Russian dictator, Putin, is back with a brand new plan. These three nations, who make up the majority of Asia, know nothing but greed. They have no interest in the welfare of their people or the fragile environment. The countries of South America are no better off. Their totalitarian regimes lay waste to the land for the sake of greed. Not only do the people suffer, but there is irreparable damage being done to the global environment every day. The rain forests, that create our oxygen, are disappearing at a staggering rate, and, thusly our oxygen supply is dissipating. However, there are those, good people who care, who are beginning to stand up and retaliate. All across the globe, we are witnessing protests by concerned individuals who say that they no longer accept the rule of their dictatorial leaders and they are willing to stand up for, and even die for, something better. People like Alexei Navalny, Putin’s main opponent in Russia. Navalny survived an assassination attempt when Putin’s agents tried to poison him. But Putin still managed to have Navalny thrown in jail on trumped up charges. Navalny and his followers simply desire a better Russia, free of corruption and weapons proliferation. In Russia, as in China and North Korea, if one demands one’s rights too loudly, one disappears. These three countries pretend to adhere to democratic rule while solidifying their dictatorship. In South America, the tyrannical regimes, of most of the countries, don’t even bother to put on a false front. The lack of law and order, or any civil government, leaves little hope for honest citizens who deserve better, to live in a democracy where all are provided for, and not just the military who instigated the latest coup in support of the newest regime. Australia, Europe and North America are too busy trying to improve their fragile economy while still attempting to save the environment. The conservatives, of these latter nations, are becoming more inclined to just watch out for themselves. Sadly, there isn’t much evidence of anyone working together for the greater good of the world, in general. Sure, we just had the G20 Summit where concerned nations agreed to curb green house gases, but was supported with little enthusiasm or ambition. For, the flip side of that is, all the other dictatorial nations refuse to bend, even a little, to support any life-saving initiative, if it means that they must sacrifice their lust for money and power. However, I maintain hope! As in the faces of the protesters in South America, I see promise, also, in the faces of the good people of Russia, who are not afraid to stand up to tyrants like Putin. Likewise in China, where ‘Emperor’ Chi has declared himself leader for life, I sense a growing movement, a force for good, that refuses to be quashed. So, too, in North Korea, it is only a matter of time before their ‘inglorious’ leader, Kim Jong Un, is forced to release his deadly stranglehold on the nation. The greed and lust for power, in these dictators, has made them blind to the needs of their people, thusly creating a self-induced type of myopia!