A series of essays....
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| THE NEW AND MUCH REQUIRED SPIRIT OF THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT |
....as seen through my eyes!
By: Jacqueline E Hughes
ENLIGHTENMENT, or The New Age of Enlightenment, is upon us. If we are here to make a difference and disrupt the current narcissistic propensities displayed by many holding political power and extreme wealth in today’s society, we the people must become enlightened...once again. If we wish to reclaim the spirit and philosophies that this nation was initially based upon and fought so hard for, than the significance of another philosophical movement stressing the importance of reason and the critical reappraisal of existing ideas and social institutions...is upon us. If we oppose the current political leanings towards rule by hierarchy and inequality, we are setting ourselves up for one of the most aggressive fights of our lives. If we lose, it will be time to open up our hearts and minds to the ramifications due to this failure as we face the end of democracy as we know it and end up with a singular conservative system that will systematically shred the meaning of ‘Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,’ forever. We should be seriously concerned by this political outcome and diligently fight for the rights originally intended within our own Constitution. Doing whatever it takes, we must become enlightened...again!
“The Enlightenment was a movement in Europe from around the year 1650 until 1800 that advocated the use of reason and individualism instead of tradition and established doctrine and brought about many humanitarian reforms.” ...Wikipedia. It was also known as The Age of Reason and encompassed a large range of ideas: science; mathematics; reason (application of logic and making sense of things); cultural movement (in decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture); liberty; progress; tolerance (permissive attitude towards those whose opinions and beliefs differ from your own); a constitutional government, and separation of church and state. We must ask ourselves if we can afford to lose or, at least, be forcefully instructed as to how much or how little (if any at all), of the above we are allowed to pursue in the future. If we are able to apply logic in answering this question, it would have to be a firm, negative response. To impede the forward momentum of social and humanitarian reforms would set society back centuries and life as we know it into a tailspin, notably impossible to recover from.
Enlightenment is the knowledge and feeling of teaching and comprehension, wisdom and insight, open-mindedness and awareness, cultivation and grace within the pursuit of a diverse and civilized lifestyle. Enlightenment is the pure definition of immigration itself with a variety of backgrounds, religions, and cultures lighting our path of discovery and knowledge beyond all prior comprehension; attainable through our inclusiveness and desire to change from being backwards in our way of thinking to being open-minded and progressive.The progression of life often includes changes and not all of them will be pleasurable. Yet, all have their purpose, for better or worse, and we cannot afford to miss the lesson each change has in store for us. Will we become enlightened by each lesson or will we become stodgy, stagnant, and cruel by the omission of forward thinking? Others have attained the latter in various degrees of their ignorance, selfishness, and extreme hatred of people who are different from themselves; those born within a class level that they feel is far beneath them. To be born into privilege or become so narrow minded about the world that exists around you eliminates the hope of enlightenment unless you are willing to arrive at a fresh stage in your life and be open to positive, productive thinking.
The soul of America is in an arena of contention, caught between hatred and the good angels attempting to save It. The New Age of Enlightenment is here! Be a part of it and vote in November because...our lives and democracy itself depend on it! This is not a reality television show. This is real life and time is running out.
Stay safe. Stay healthy. Wear your mask.
Copyright © 2020 by Jacqueline E Hughes
All rights reserved
