Take a Moment

June 4, 2020:

We're living in dark times. An era that is certain to become a part of history that I am confident most of us would rather do without. It certainly isn’t surprising, given the source proximity of some of these issues, that it would bleed over onto our nation.

I have been told by some that I am needy, but we all have needs, don’t we? The need for peace, for sanity, for people to stand up for what they believe to be right, to be able to live a morally honorable life and to be free to challenge those in power that somehow think that they are beyond reproach. Is that too much to ask of humankind? Does that make me needy?

Yes, right now there is massive unemployment and people are dying from a virus that may or may not have ominous origins. Yes, there is racism and pay inequality and double standards. There are the haves and the have nots. These issues all need to be dealt with in a fair and sustainable way. Easier said than done, absolutely, but we all need to roll up our sleeves and get to it.

Sometimes though, and understandably so, with all that is going on around us we forget about what is happening in the presence of our own homes. But, if any of you have ever graduated high school and can remember what it felt like to walk across the stage in front of your peers to gleefully receive that which you have spent seemingly an eternity working towards (twelve years of projects, after school assignments, hours of homework, tests upon more tests), then surely you can appreciate the anguish and pain that our graduating young are facing after being irreparably ripped off of this rite of passage. It cannot be overlooked that these heirs to the future of the world are facing a chaotic and uncertain landscape.

So, how can I as an aspiring artist sardonically write about the continuing exploration of my creative soul when the souls of millions of deserving young adults are crying out for some semblance of a future not marred by the maniacal ramblings of an uneducated, entitled, narcissistic imbecile who follows the very playbook of another such fascist dictator who once tried to take over the world? Has history not taught us anything?

According to a documentary on Netflix called WWII in Colour the term “Make Germany Great Again” MGGA was a catchphrase once used by Hitler and the Nazi party in the thirties to campaign their way into control of the German government. The similarities between what is happening today in America (MAGA) and what happened back then is pretty striking, and here we are right on the doorstep.

Photoshopped from Twitter, but you get the idea

Anyone with a platform (reporters, celebrities, athletes, notable authors), who attempt to disseminate a similar message to the one I am propagating here are met, in most cases, with anonymous online trolls/cowards who spew nothing but venom and vitriol with about as much intelligence as rocks in a quarry. There is no logic to any of this derogatory onslaught towards what used to be civil human values, except to say that the supposed “Leader” of the “Free World” is also the “Fucking Leader” who disgorges it. What a jerk!

Social media has done a lot for bringing world events and troubling incidences to the forefront of our lives, and for many it has also aided in bringing their brands and or agendas online for world consumption, and yes, I am guilty of attempting to use it for similar purposes as well, but unfortunately, it has also given a voice to those who would use it for no other purpose than to cause chaos and animosity in our daily goings on.

Sometimes, I get tired of it to the point where I just want to disconnect from it all and pretend instead to live in a world where everyone is considerate and understands that we all have to live here. So why not just try and get along. I need a hug, and if that makes me needy, then so be it.

Here's one for our southern neighbour.

Until next time.

P.S. Thanks for reading/watching.