A series of essays.....
.....as seen through my eyes!
By: Jacqueline E. Hughes
Keep Calm and Carry On was a motivational poster
produced by the British government in 1939 in preparation for World War II. The
poster was intended to raise the morale of the British public, threatened with
widely predicted mass air attacks on major cities. Evocative of the British
'stiff upper lip' and unemotional sounding self-discipline, the message, I
believe, was thought provoking and served its purpose to the British people in
its own, quiet way.
In the year 2017, we recognize this poster, albeit in
its many new and innovative forms, as a soothing, informative, and
self-supporting meme, typically humorous in nature, that has spread rapidly to
multitudes of people via social media networks.
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| Courtesy: PC Wall Art |
Various parodies of the original poster include: STAY
ALIVE AND AVOID ZOMBIES (Author: Mark Baker); Keep Calm And Let the Dutch Girl
Handle It (Recently posted on Facebook by my brilliant Dutch friend,
Wilhelmina.); I'M FRENCH, WE DON'T KEEP CALM (Had to throw that one in there!)
and, one of my favorite parodies that will get us through the year with
understanding and peace is this calendar made-up of topical monthly
reminders:
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| Courtesy: From the Heart |
Keeping calm these days has become a literal 'Cone of Uncertainty' in and of itself and a minute shift from the left to the right could make a huge difference in which path our lives will follow. How is it even possible to remain
calm, cool, and collected while living in an age of massive chaos, both in its
natural form and man-made varieties? Are these forms interchangeable given the fact that man's ignorance of and/or total disregard for the
maintenance of nature has served to ramp-up the grand furies offered to us by
Mother Nature herself within this past year alone?
Having recently survived Hurricane Irma as she 'slapped'
those of us in Central Florida as compared to her 'heavy fist pounding' of the
Caribbean Islands and the Florida Keys, I can tell you that with each of her
tiny wobbles and shifting itineraries, my heart would skip a beat. Having survived Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne, who crisscrossed their merry way
through Central Florida in 2004, we knew that Irma was in a category all her own.
She was stronger, meaner, tougher, and guaranteed to blow you away as she
covered the entire state with her cloak of disaster. Never did my childhood
memories of the hurricane scene in The Wizard of Oz hit so close to home as with
Irma on our heels!
Harvey swallowed-up a portion of Texas only a short
while before Irma and left the people there feeling hopeless and lost while the
high waters and sheer pain of loss gnawed away at their future well-being. My
heart aches for all who have suffered such devastating loss and must work so
diligently to create a brighter tomorrow for themselves and their
families...
The scores of wildfires plaguing our Western States had
been the focal point of pain and loss prior to the advent of this season's
hurricanes. Looking at this informational map of the United States sets the
entire picture for the suffering currently being inflicted upon her citizens in
the form of wildfires and hurricanes today.
Two hurricanes I have yet to mention are depicted on
this map in burgundy along the East Coast. Jose continues to ramble along his crazy, circular path up
near the coastline in the Northeast. It's as if he's waiting for his date,
Maria, to catch-up with him so that they can dance together to the wild rhythm
of power and glory before, finally, leaving us alone.
Hurricane Maria makes landfall in Puerto Rico as a
Category 4 storm as I type this story. Not since 1932 has such a powerful storm
touched the landmass of Puerto Rico with her potent wind gusts of over one
hundred and fifty miles per hour. I can feel that sinking feeling in my gut as I
watch the pictures coming out from this island. If you have never experienced
the lead up of a possible hit or the direct punches of a powerful hurricane, I hope you are kind enough to understand why we choose to 'hunker down' in our homes and ride out the storm. And, we do know that you mean well and truly do care, however......
A mandatory evacuation is another story. This means that
the likelihood of being caught in the direct path of the worst part of the
storm, weather it be from wind, rain, or storm surge....is in your future and
you must get out of harm's way because your life is so much more important than
anything else you may own. It's exceedingly difficult to remain calm when
someone is telling you that the probability of death is imminent if you remain
where you currently are.
Mother Nature has unleashed her fury in the form of
fire, wind, water.....and, within the past several days, she is adding
earthquakes to her repertoire with two major quakes rocking Central Mexico and
an underwater quake striking to the south of New Zealand, near the Auckland
Islands, provoking the fear of those on the other side of the world, as
well. A few moments ago, I heard of a magnitude 6.1 earthquake hitting off the coast of Japan sending tremors along the East Coast of that island.
The human spirit coupled with the possibility of
survival combine to ultimately calculate the aftermath of these disasters. It
may be raising your fist for silence as another victim is pulled from a pancaked
apartment building in Mexico City, a human chain formed to pull a victim from
rapidly flowing flood waters in Texas, or offering shelter and food to someone who has
lost his home due to high winds in Florida. The essential nature of human kind is to help our fellow man after troubling times.
What about beforehand? Does the 'essential nature' of
mankind extend to helping to thwart (man-made) disasters, also?
On the same day that hurricanes, fires, and earthquakes
blast our world with their red-hot fury, and remaining calm can be the furthest
thing from our thoughts, we are confronted by the illogical mind games presented
by the appointed leader of our great nation as he stands before the United
Nations General Assembly and spits out the words, "....we will have no choice
but to totally destroy North Korea. 'Rocket Man' (His nickname for Kim Jong-un,
leader of North Korea) is on a suicide mission for himself and for his
regime."
I'll speak for myself when I say that I've always been
told that blatant provocation is utilized by fools and the uninformed in order
to stoke tensions that can lead them down roads they do not truly wish to
travel. Let's face it, a provoked nuclear conflict would certainly be leading
us down one of these sinister pathways!!!
Gambling on the welfare and mental stability of everyone
here in the United States, as well as the lives of over twenty-five million
people in North Korea, and the men, women, and children that comprise the fifty
million people living in South Korea, is NOT an option here! Not to mention the
people of Japan and Guam placed into the mix.
Headlines after his juvenile U.N. speech
include:
NPR: "After Trump's U.N. Speech, Some Senators Look To
Reinforce War Powers."
Baltimore Sun Editorial Board: "Who's the madman, Kim or
Trump?"
Vanity Fair: "In Maniacal U.N. Soliloquy, Trump
Threatens Annihilation."
Why would we even think that having a President threaten
annihilation is a smart, practical tact toward obtaining world peace and the
general welfare of mankind? Call me crazy for believing otherwise but, fighting
fear with the use of fear can only create more fear and more hate and ultimate
instability among these two leaders who do not seem to be the most stable people
in the first place. Since diplomacy has been abandoned during the making of this
unnerving scenario anyway, I say we place Don and Kim in the same padded room,
lock the door and allow them as much time as needed to work on this child's game
they have going between them.
Like any good Mother under similar circumstances might
tell you, given sufficient time, they will work something out. They will have
to. And, no humans, animals, or irreplaceable antiquities will be harmed in the
meantime. A feeling of peace and calmness will prevail.
Immaturity and mean spiritedness should not be allowed
to triumph, especially when so many lives are currently being disrupted by
Mother Nature's wrath. Her extreme punishment will continue to pose a threat to
life and limb as long as we continue to ignore the necessary role of mankind to
Keep Calm and Save The Planet; Keep Calm and Save The Earth.
It is our duty as Earth's temporary lodgers to be kind
and to protect our surroundings to the best of our ability. Whether we are
protecting the land from irresponsible human beings who disbelieve in global
warming, or protecting the planet and all who reside here from annihilation by
nuclear warfare, we know that our main intent is to keep our temporary home safe
for the generations of people who will have the opportunity to correct our
wrongs and make better lives for their children's children to come.
I have an unequivocal feeling that Mother Nature is
telling all of us to change our bad habits now and that, finally, enough is
enough!
Copyright © 2017 by Jacqueline E. Hughes
All rights reserved
