A series of essays.....
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| THOUSANDS LEAVE A MEMORIAL SHRINE FOR THE VICTIMS OF THE ORLANDO PULSE NIGHTCLUB SHOOTING |
.....as seen through my eyes!
By: Jacqueline E. Hughes
Get ready people because we are experiencing a 'cultural shift' from deep within the daily life and social network we currently hold so dear. Stand very still, close your eyes and you can feel that the times they are a-changing.....
As a child of the '60's Revolution, I can sense how the plates are shifting beneath me once again! The tremors of a powerful and mind-blowing quake is rumbling not so deep beneath the earth's surface, building up steam and preparing to Rock-n-Roll us into a brand new stage of existence. How accepting of it are we willing to be?
Our resident philosopher, renowned prophet, and song writer, Bob Dylan, turned heads around in those days with lyrics like this:
Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside
And it is ragin'
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the time they are a-changin'
We 'Truth Seekers' and students of the world knew what was happening back then and prepared for the long-haul. We encouraged the fight and took the lyrics to Dylan's song to heart and were, in turn, encouraged by them. We were the counter-revolutionaries long before Bernie, finally, charged onto the scene again in this millennium. We were determined to outline the misconceptions and intentions behind our government's involvement in the war in Vietnam and set it straight....even if it meant we were not willing to fight and die for something we did not believe in.
Living in Canada was an alternative lifestyle, freely discussed and often acted upon....consequences be damned!
I remember how we would sit and talk and exchange ideas along the way, for the most part, mindful of our constituent assembly and eager to make or change our political constitution. We were rebels with a cause and felt the time was rife with the need for a powerful change before many lives were lost due to existing policies.
Our generation wanted it done and, we wanted it done as quickly as possible... Having to go through the proper channels may have cramped our style, but we were conscious of the fact that our thoughts and words counted, to a certain degree, and the people running the show would at least hear us out, if not understand.
Impulsiveness. Impulsive behavior is the theme of this current revolution and led by a man whose trait is not thinking carefully before acting. A chameleon of words who changes his persona in order to please each audience with an assumed identity or character.
We have seen the impulsive 'change maker' and felt the negative ramifications of his mighty roar like a seismic shift threatening society as we know it. His impulsive and erratic behavior is based upon and characterized by actions rooted within sudden desires, whims, or inclinations rather than careful thought or planning.
The 'impulsive man' will bring about change. I will not deny that. But, change based upon emotional impulses or whims is brief, loud, and meant for the short term, not continuous for long term stability.
Impulsiveness is what drives the fear and hatred within so many of us, all around the world, in terms of political and religious ideology. Impulsive behavior has spawned new radical beliefs like the idea of building a wall so high that others cannot take away from us anything that is most righteously deserved as American citizens. But, at what cost to others? Impulsive behavior is directly responsible for the annihilation of so many innocent men, women, and children that it has become unconscionable and difficult to comprehend.
The Republican choice for candidate for the Presidency of the United States is doing so much more than challenging our Constitution; he is denying it and all that it stands for! Whether out of ignorance of its content and intentions, or his own ego and ambition, he is making a mockery out of the hard work that formulated the principles by which we are governed.
I visited the Pulse Nightclub memorial last weekend here in Orlando, my City United. Tears from the pain, hatred, and shock that was the intent of a man fueled by hypocrisy and loathing ran freely down my face. I was not alone. Thousands of us were paying our respects to the innocents who have now become martyrs due to impulsive and irrational behavior.
Soon I will be shedding fresh tears as we walk along the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, France, alongside others who question and wonder about the instability of mankind.
We are being tested. Our values and morals and poor judgment regarding the annihilation of our Planet Earth are on display for all to see, and we are all being tested.....every single day!
November 8, 2016, is our designated exam day as we check the boxes for whom we believe will shed a favorable light upon the United States for years to come. I hope we do well on this test. Our lives and those of our children and grandchildren truly do depend on it.
Copyright © 2016 by Jacqueline E. Hughes
All rights reserved
