On March 18th I ventured with a bunch of likeminded folks down to Columbus to commemorate then 3rd anniversary of the war in Iraq. Mission accomplished indeed. The crowd was smallish there was 800 people there according to the papers. I would have guessed a hair bit higher, but that’s not too important.
The prayer service beforehand was very sincere. Sincere is good I just wished it had been a tad less somber. Here I am looking to get my seditionist groove working and I’m sitting in a somber prayer service. Oops.
The rally itself was good fun. The speakers were a good bunch. Nikki Robinson, a senior at Kent State, was especially good. Youthful enthusiasm is always so contagious. My “Axis of Idiots” sign was quite popular with the crazy kids at the rally. I got videotaped and photographed more in that one afternoon than I had been in the past year. So either I was beloved by my fellow protestors or the NSA was spying on me. I’m not totally sure anymore.
Speaking of not being totally sure I must admit something. I know I write here often about things I find troubling. I write about things that ought to change. I often write about things that I feel would make the world a better place for us all. Some days I feel like quitting though. I would never give up on my beliefs and go to the right on the political spectrum. God forbid. Some days I wonder if the human race is worth all the effort.
My inner cynic is a noisy little twerp. I read that some of my significant betters, like Albert Einstein, Mark Twain and Kurt Vonnegut, have given up on the human race. I wonder if I should abandon it as well.
I mean it’s not like I have a lot of fuel to keep that flickering flame of hope burning. All the wars and oppression and abuse and greed make my hopes sink. I see people willing to sacrifice freedom for the cold comfort of protection and I fear that maybe people don’t really want freedom.
But then it happens. Something inspires me. Something comes along that lifts me out of the doldrums and gives me a reason to believe in the human race again. Whether its people sacrificing careers to help total strangers rebuild after some disaster or people suffering the brutality of oppression and poverty dancing as if they don’t have a care in the world. Then I pick my sorry self-pitying carcass up and keep on keeping on.
I remain cautiously optimistic for the fate of humanity. Maybe, just maybe, if enough people toss aside their bullets and bombs and pick up books. Maybe, just maybe, if enough people realize that there is no love in fear. Maybe, just maybe, if learn that every person has an inalienable right to housing, food, water, health care and education. Maybe, just maybe, if learn that differences between people ought to be understood rather than feared. Maybe, just maybe, it’ll all work out. I hope so anyway.
The prayer service beforehand was very sincere. Sincere is good I just wished it had been a tad less somber. Here I am looking to get my seditionist groove working and I’m sitting in a somber prayer service. Oops.
The rally itself was good fun. The speakers were a good bunch. Nikki Robinson, a senior at Kent State, was especially good. Youthful enthusiasm is always so contagious. My “Axis of Idiots” sign was quite popular with the crazy kids at the rally. I got videotaped and photographed more in that one afternoon than I had been in the past year. So either I was beloved by my fellow protestors or the NSA was spying on me. I’m not totally sure anymore.
Speaking of not being totally sure I must admit something. I know I write here often about things I find troubling. I write about things that ought to change. I often write about things that I feel would make the world a better place for us all. Some days I feel like quitting though. I would never give up on my beliefs and go to the right on the political spectrum. God forbid. Some days I wonder if the human race is worth all the effort.
My inner cynic is a noisy little twerp. I read that some of my significant betters, like Albert Einstein, Mark Twain and Kurt Vonnegut, have given up on the human race. I wonder if I should abandon it as well.
I mean it’s not like I have a lot of fuel to keep that flickering flame of hope burning. All the wars and oppression and abuse and greed make my hopes sink. I see people willing to sacrifice freedom for the cold comfort of protection and I fear that maybe people don’t really want freedom.
But then it happens. Something inspires me. Something comes along that lifts me out of the doldrums and gives me a reason to believe in the human race again. Whether its people sacrificing careers to help total strangers rebuild after some disaster or people suffering the brutality of oppression and poverty dancing as if they don’t have a care in the world. Then I pick my sorry self-pitying carcass up and keep on keeping on.
I remain cautiously optimistic for the fate of humanity. Maybe, just maybe, if enough people toss aside their bullets and bombs and pick up books. Maybe, just maybe, if enough people realize that there is no love in fear. Maybe, just maybe, if learn that every person has an inalienable right to housing, food, water, health care and education. Maybe, just maybe, if learn that differences between people ought to be understood rather than feared. Maybe, just maybe, it’ll all work out. I hope so anyway.
posted by Eric at 9:35 AM
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