Often I want to set up a Facebook page called 'Just Stop It!' or 'Stop It Now!'. In all honesty, the marvel of social media has made me party to all sorts of news that I wouldn't normally think about or perhaps even know about. Some of the more bizarre stuff might not be true. But worse still, it may be. And in that case the human race or at least a frightening number of its members have a great deal to answer for.
Do you ever wonder what on Earth is going on that other people, yes human beings just like you, find it within themselves to partake in what surely must be recognised as the most despicable of actions against other humans, animals and the very planet on which our existence depends? Do you? I do. I know much harm we do is clumsy, unwitting human error. That's a given. Not one of us is all wise in all ways. But much of what I see cannot be explained away as clumsiness or ignorance.
Entertainment on social media and even on one way media like television (well, okay, we interact by switching channels, buying the goods advertised and sometimes even...switching OFF), is awash with evidence of the slippery slide on which we find ourselves. Those more aware or more concerned individuals try in some ways to slow the trip by actions similar to a small child on a slippery dip, pressing arms and legs outwards to create some friction, slow the descent and avoid the hard 'bump' at the bottom. It might make that individual feel a little safer for a time, or a little more in control somehow. But what difference is it making? I wonder. Some of us are frantically recycling and doing our best to buy and invest ethically, to minimise our purchasing of new articles, trying to live more locally and create a greater sense of connection to others and planet; a sense of making a difference and belonging to a community. Just belonging.
The thing is, we do all belong. We all live on this planet and we all share, somewhat inequitably to say the least, the resources we find hereon. And yet control of this amazing place we all call home - we all share - we all have in common - falls somehow to the few. How does that come to bear? I am bemused and confused and deeply concerned that we (the masses - the not 'super-rich' - the non-plutocrats) have been dreadfully and thoroughly hoodwinked. We are somehow beholden to keeping those plutocrats right where they like to be. We whinge and whine about how unfair everything is but we seem somehow unable to do much about it.
Still, I diverge from where I wanted to go with this. The stuff I want to talk about today is the damned silly and ridiculous stuff that people do. The cruel, the nasty, the unkind, the violent, the unfeeling actions against those less strong or less able. I'm talking about anything that makes life less enjoyable, less free, less comfortable or less fair to another being. I don't want to cite specifics because the things I'm talking about are shared often enough and I see no point in giving them more airplay than they are already getting.
We, human beings of all ilks, nations and creeds, need a virus to strike us, one and all. A curious virus - an outbreak, an epidemic of common sense. The kind that means we must see how another will feel if we act improperly towards them, be they fellow human, four-legged friend or Mother Earth herself. Indeed she is our mother. From her we came and to her we shall one day return. The cycles of life will continue in some way, shape or form, if not in ways immediately recognisable to us...as things inevitably change. But just imagine if there was such an outbreak. If we could all suddenly see the consequences of our actions and make choices that were kinder and more loving. Imagine if we no longer had to see images and hear stories that result from determined and deliberate actions of hate. Imagine. All credit there to John Lennon. His words of love and peace bring tears surging to my poor eyes, tired of being ravaged by indecencies and improprieties. I see and hear way more than I want to, simply because it has become more acceptable to publicise (to share) these things nowadays.
Well, perhaps all this seems rather judgemental, but I hope not. Making judgments is an integral part of being human. Of human being. It is necessary to make judgments about what is acceptable to us and what is not. It is necessary to make judgments about what we are willing to tolerate and what we are not. Let's hope and pray for that virus that might infect us all with more compassion, more understanding, more empathy, more connection and the ability to see how our actions affect those around us, other humans who may be invisible to us in our daily lives, and this beautiful planet. I'm calling for an outbreak of common sense and I hope it will come soon. I believe there are pockets of 'infection' even now as I write, but my hope is that these will grow and erupt to spread in epidemic proportions and lead to a kinder and more loving humanity.
Thanks for hearing me out.
Please feel welcome to share stories of compassion and love to empower the movement towards better times for all. Perhaps if we work at it we can tip the scale. If you are unable to comment here, please pop over to my Facebook page and leave a comment there.
Kerry x
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