Not The World I Expected
We've polluted our oceans with debris, spilled oil, and pollutants until all water life is in danger of being suffocated. In the Gulf of Mexico there is already a huge dead zone where the oxygen has been depleted and it's growing. The air is almost un-breathable in some cities and the trees which make oxygen are swiftly being cut down. All these movies and books about a utopian future are dreams, well crafted wishes of a world that we aren't going to have because we humans are too many and too destructive for the future.
Or the universe.
I am one of those who remembers the Cuban missile crisis, I remember the fear on the faces of the adults and not really understanding why. I remember the Vietnam War (or Conflict) and waiting up on New Years Eve to hear where my birthday was called by the draft lottery. I remember the Civil Rights demonstrations and all the white people terrified of losing their spot on the top of, well, everything. I remember when women fought for equal rights. And I remember the beginning of the AIDS virus and all the hatred toward the GLBTQ community...In all honesty I was incredibly naive about some of these movements. Almost all of my friends were not white, they were Hispanic, African American, Asian, and I didn't know about racism on a large scale until a close friend, Tommy, (He was black) and I went to see the movie 'The French Connection' and Gene Hackman's character used virtually every hateful and demeaning slang word for all races...Afterward Tommy and I talked about his place in this world as a black man and I hurt more than I ever thought possible. I then looked back on moments with my other friends and saw the racist attitude toward them, an attitude I didn't recognize at the time because of my own skin color. In a heartbeat virtually every movie I ever saw flashed before my eyes and I realized they were written and acted for white people. This was in the early 70s.
As a people, we celebrate moments in time. Some are national holidays, some are birthdays or anniversaries, some are tragedy's like the assassination of John Kennedy...One of the strongest and most powerful instances was when I realized my lack of understanding when it came to the whole world and not just my tiny piece of it.
Some moments I did understand the consequences of. I knew that any same sex relationship was an invitation of anger which often led to beatings and, sometimes, death. I was fortunate to have been given some important information about this, information that was right for the time. 'You have to pretend none of this happened...Lie, keep it secret, and act 'Normal'...' In a small town like Casa Grande, a typical Arizona city, the prevailing wind was toward the hard right and there were those who enjoyed persecuting anyone who was different. From the time I began to be interested in others I never saw a right or wrong way of sharing my feelings. Looking back I can honestly say that I've probably dated as many of my own sex as I have with women. For me it was never a problem, it was simply a willingness to find the right partner to compliment me and my future.
But that was me.
I'm older, hopefully a bit wiser, and as I look toward the future I am a skeptic because everything minorities have fought and died for, all those freedoms we thought were a forever thing, are in danger of being erased. And the people who want them gone are very much like the Nazi party, a people using hatred toward everyone who isn't like them in order to make this world in their image. People who want to put women back into the kitchen, who want to erect 'Camps' for the gay community, who want the rich to rule and everyone else to work for them, paying wages that are not enough to actually live in this country.
Not the world I expected and it's an insult to the memory of those who stood and gave all they had in order for others to be able to love and live in this moment of time without the same fear their forebear's went through every minute of every day.
Today we stand on the brink of nuclear war as well as another civil war within America's borders. Right winged religion (Of all types) are taking advantage of having a racist in the White House (And congress) to fall back on their old hatred of all things not white and male. We, as a people, are responsible for this and we have to do something to fix the problem. If we don't then internment camps aren't all that far off, more attacks on the GLBTQ community will (And are) happen and women will lose absolutely everything they've fought for...Men have almost succeeded in taking away Planned Parenthood and there are those who shout about putting women 'Back where they belong'...
...Yeah, we are truly fucked!
These injustices can be changed...But it will cost more blood, more lives, more everything... It's time to make a commitment. It's time to say ENOUGH. It's time to call out the racists and the haters, it's time to let them know their way of life is just plain wrong.
It's a scary thing, making a stand for yourself and others...Always remember this: None of us gets out of life alive! Do you want your legacy be one of sitting and doing nothing or do you want to be a part of making the world a better place for everyone? Most of history is made by unnamed individuals, people willing to live and die for a cause.
I'm a Witch, a bisexual individual and someone who cares very much for humanity. Out there are those who can't wait to see me die, maybe help me along with the whole dying thing.
I am not that hard to find.
And I am not afraid. The price is high, the consequences are very real. But I don't want to enter the dark side of life with the knowledge that I didn't even try to rid the world of hatred and bias.
It's time to decide.
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