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This is a short, sad story of a village; and its children. Children born in filth to parents filled with angst pretending to be love. In the moment in which Life sparked, the filth was external. But in the very next moment, before acknowledgement was barely possible, the purity was sullied. Their parents could still see the hope around the edges, and deep within the parents held onto a dream that indeed this child would be the one. And some parents proclaimed as much to all who might listen. But alas, these same brash parents diluted possibility with expectations that were unavoidably attached to the filth of worldly desires. Yet those parents who were not overbearing, were as equally unsuccessful filtering the filth; despite their reason and their warnings, their children played in the mud. And then there were those parents who worked to (over)protect their children; to keep their children completely away from influences unbecoming, but regardless, the filth found a way to seep into these children as well.

As the children grew to ask more complex and difficult questions, their understanding of filth was refined, spreading and expanding to cover all and everything around them leaving a circle of righteousness like a cocoon keeping them snug and safe. Filth parted before them as they continued on their quest for their parent's hope. Some children it appeared were able to hover over the surface-filth and disguise their forays into filth as efforts to fulfill expectations. Some children wallowed in the surface-filth. And some children, in fact all children, learned how to fling filth making it stick to and slowly drip from some other children, marking them as derelict regardless of truth. It turned out that the hovering children were prolific filth flingers and also quite adept at dodging flung filth. And some of those surface children who were constantly barraged with flung filth soon found their cocoon in shreds and tatters.

Each grew up accordingly. The surface children who still held on to some semblance of a cocoon, began adulthood working for those who hovered. Those surface children entering adulthood in shredded, tattered cocoons felt filthy regardless of truth. The weight of the flung filth dragged many of these former sparks beneath the surface. Some of these outcasts spent a lifetime floundering. Some disappeared. Most of those who hovered as children, hovered as adults and came to believe that flung filth was truth and that everyone was deserving of their place.

A few of those working on the surface came to realize that those who hovered, though seemingly above the filth, were actually the purveyors of filth, sprinkling it down upon the masses cloaked as power, wealth, success, tradition, even kindness and generosity, and a (forever unfulfilled) promise that those who worked on the surface would ultimately learn to hover. Most of those working on the surface though were enamored, seeing these offerings as manna and learning to be happy in their place.

Anecdotally a former child would on occasion rise from their clinging filth and learn to hover. Anecdotally a former child would on occasion reach down and rescue a lost or floundering soul and help them to repair their cocoon just enough to find a place on the surface. For the most part though, those who hovered, hovered; those on the surface, worked; and those beneath the surface, drowned, over and over and over and over again.

This is a short, sad story of a village; and its children.

And this is a shorter, sadder story of other villages. Imagined villages. Hopes and dreams. Myths and legends. Villages in which sparks are reignited, purity is unsullied, and everyone is equally joyful and deserving of their reward. And villages in which justice is doled out, punishments are received, and everyone is equally filthy and deserving regardless of truth. In this story, everyone acknowledges that a day will come when each one of us will have to leave the village in which we sparked, grew and spent our adulthood.

According to the tradition of those who hover, all those who had hovered in the village from which all emerge will travel to a village inhabited largely by all those who had hovered. And those who had hovered will arrive with power, wealth, success and traditions intact. And according to those who hover, those who unappreciatively work on the surface and those floundering and beneath the surface will disappear, perhaps traveling to another unacknowledged, inconsequential village, (likely some horrible village filled with pain and suffering and angst). And according to those who hover, a select few of those who appreciatively work on the surface will join those who hover in their new village; after all those who hover will likely need workers in this new village as well.

And according to all those who appreciatively work on the surface of the village from which all emerge, they will be amongst the select few following those who hover to their new village.

And those who recognize the purveyors of filth, and those who are floundering and/or beneath the surface are largely silent on the topic of future travels because they are occupied, busy cleaning up the filth in this village from which all emerge and/or they are simply occupied, busy surviving.

And there are rumors of other villages. Villages that recycle visitors and put them on a train going back to the village from which all emerge. Villages in which visitors are copied, printed, bound and shelved in the stacks forever and ever amen. Villages in which visitors are liberated then merged into a single conscious goodness. Villages filled with orgiastic ecstasy. Villages in which each villager has attained a personal state of Nihilistic Perfection.

And this is a shorter, sadder story of other villages.

And this is the short, sad story of our village; and our children.

To ignore, to accept, to rationalize a consensus irregularity will only serve to further disjoint the status quo, creating the potential for a downward spiral. This week I have read this suggestion regarding our government’s reaction in two different contexts. In one the impetus was to give in to consensus behavior and in the other the concern is government's possible inclination to give in to extremist threats. Intimidation or coercion, whether by an actual majority, a vocal majority, or an egregious majority, does not make good government. (A vocal majority is a minority heard more frequently; an egregious majority is a minority heard more loudly.) We too often (and too consistently) forget that our Constitution was written to protect individual rights by avoiding the tyranny of any majority. James Madison said, “It is of great importance in a republic, not only to guard the society against the oppression of its rulers, but to guard one part of society against the injustice of the other part.” Be it from power or from fear, we live in a time (and perhaps it has always been so) in which a majority, and/or a minority posing as a majority, can and does tyrannize other smaller, less powerful, or quieter parts of society. In this regard, our practice of good government is merely rhetorical and our Constitution is merely theoretical; but it is good theory – something to aspire to. Having said all this, it does not lessen the import of the two aforementioned contexts in which we as individuals, as a people, as a nation should maintain vigilance and avoid rationalization, acceptance, and ignorance. If anything, these two examples should breathe life into our Constitution and ignite (or re-ignite) our passion and urgency for good government. But as long as we bend to the influence of a more powerful and/or a more scary faction, (or in some cases even a larger faction), we will be tyrannized.

Four to five-hundred. This is the number of daily COVID deaths we Americans have decided we can live with. Somehow, we have rationalized this number as acceptable, and our government has made concessions in the form of new CDC guidelines to justify this new status quo. The problem is, now that our government has agreed with us that we are tired of all things COVID it will be hard to backtrack. It will be difficult to ramp up any kind of response if things worsen only slightly from say a mere variant or simply bad behavior, thus opening the door for another new status quo of say six-hundred daily deaths; then it's just a hop to seven-hundred; then maybe a small leap to eight or nine-hundred. A downward spiral.

The second consensus irregularity of concern this week, is perhaps of more concern because a faction within our government is instigating, thus more inclined to rationalize justification for what a few years ago was considered fringe but more recently has become a scary egregious majority. Scanning headlines, I read about the threat of violence, actual violence, talk of civil war, and the convenience of withdrawing support when it works against a prescribed agenda. In this example, the same faction that has consistently supported an enforcement of laws that kills an inordinate number of blacks, is now condemning law enforcement when they are executing a legal search warrant. And because there is a vocal majority (today’s right) instigating, rationalizing, accepting and ignoring an egregious majority (the far right), more tyranny is inevitable.

In this nation, good government is charged with protecting individual rights, individual liberty; and as important, good government must protect the rights and frustrate any potential for oppression of those smaller, less powerful or quieter groups otherwise lost in the muddle. It is a difficult task. Our government today is not a particularly good government. I’m not sure if our government in any day has ever been a particularly good government. Much easier to go with the majority du jour (actual, vocal, egregious) and govern rhetorically, as all three branches so obviously do. Much more difficult to see our Constitution as a living, breathing document to be interpreted as a whole rather than our current inclination to apply an a la carte selection to rationalize and justify a specific agenda. Our government today is not a particularly good government.

I have not studied it as I should, but I suspect if I looked more carefully I would find that we as a people have been fairly consistent throughout our history regarding our application of law to err on the side of rationalization, acceptance and ignorance instead of Truth, Wisdom and Justice. That said, I would also like to believe, (I do believe), we have (to an extent) improved and perhaps on occasion we take a baby step or two in the right direction. But unless we somehow create a greater sense of urgency, I am afraid our ways will end in greater tyranny and increased violence. Will we as a people, will our government, continue to bend to power and fear? Or will we reach for compassion and justice before it’s too late?

Most interpret dominion as power and act accordingly typically in the interest of (in ascending order):

1. The Earth.
2. The fish of the sea.
3. The birds of the air.
4. Every living thing that moves.
5. Humanity.
6. My people.
7. My nation.
8. My state and/or municipality.
9. My village.
10. My family.
11. Me.

But if one were to interpret dominion as follows?

To have dominion is to be responsible. To be responsible is to take care. To take care is to provide. To adequately provide requires consideration and compassion.

Suddenly dominion is not all about me. To reinterpret power as the responsibility to provide for all those less powerful would be consequential.

…to say the least.

Politics is commonly associated with government. Power is commonly associated with strength, might, force, control, and privilege. Today, both are associated with an Us/Them divide.

But if politics at its root is simply a struggle for power, then would the struggle be as mighty if every one understood that power now required inordinate consideration and compassion sans ego? No Ego! No Us/Them! No Dominion in the traditional sense! And because politics beyond government, in every nook, cranny, crack and crevice of our lives, is this same struggle for power, (look at any circumstance or arena that includes even a single ego), within this new understanding of power as responsibility, would we be more likely to hold our leaders more accountable? And if this accountability somehow really did couple with this inordinate consideration and compassion, how many politicians would seek re-election? How many bullies, bosses, tyrants, fear-mongerers would be out of a job? How many old white men would we have to forcibly remove? How much wealth would have to be redistributed?

I am sad for this world. The lack of responsibility, the lack of compassion, the lack of justice, the overt divisiveness, the lack of love. And even sadder than this sadness is how this sadness does not appear to resonate nearly enough to create a proper sense of urgency. And the fact of this is even sadder yet. Layers of sadness, layers of anger, layers of ignorance, layers of ego, all laid down and intertwined forming a seemingly impermeable foundation fast separating Humanity from Life.

Overwhelmingly, I am sad for this world.

Overwhelmingly, we should all be sad for this world.

What has become of the American Dream?

552,800. 3.6 million. 42.5 million. 145.5 million. 120 million. 27 million.

More than 335 million Americans, and counting. The dream for 552,800 Americans: to have a home. The dream for 3.6 million Americans per year: a miracle to escape the eviction notice tacked on their door. The dream for 42.5 million Americans: to move above the poverty line. The dream for 145.5 million Americans: savings; security beyond paycheck-to-paycheck. The dream for 120 million Americans: wealth. The dream for 27 million Americans: to keep 308 million Americans in their respective places. 120 million want to become part of the 27 million. 145.5 million want to become part of the 120 million. 42.5 million want to become part of the 145.5 million. And half-a-million would be thrilled to have a door on which an eviction notice could be hung. But alas, 27 million have all the power and 27 million want to keep 308 million in their respective places.

Realistically, we could have 335 million (and counting) all secure and comfortably nestled into the current group of 120 million.

Compassionately, with barely a ripple, we could move 42.5 million in with the 145.5 million, thus wiping out the half-a-million and the 3.6 million.

But alas, 27 million have all the power and 27 million want to keep 308 million in their respective places.

According to some, the American Dream was once about equality, justice and democracy. Then, sometime after World War II, it evolved to mean individual material wealth and success. Now, it continues to evolve reflecting today's growing wealth gap, limited minimal upward mobility, and continued dearth of equality, justice and democracy. Today's dreams (by necessity) are small; today's Americans (by edict) are complacent.

Complacent: smugly self-satisfied, agreeable, and eager to please.

According to author Ronald Wright, “John Steinbeck once said that Socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires.”

I lost all the “temporarily embarrassed millionaires” at the mention of Socialism.

At its core, Socialism reflects a desire “to remedy or alleviate certain unfavorable conditions of life in a community, especially among poor people.” (Definition found beneath “Social” in dictionary.com.) Compassion. How can that be wrong?

Do we dream a bigger, more achievable dream? To alleviate suffering? Or do we continue as complacent, entitled temporarily embarrassed millionaires, dreaming of inconsequential individual material wealth from our respective places as desired and dictated by the all-powerful minority 27 million?

Regarding movement towards equality, justice and democracy, on page 95 of Carlo Rovelli's book “There Are Places in the World Where Rules Are Less Important Than Kindness” he says, “The recent historic failure of real socialism has arrested this impetus, and today, barely veiled by pro-democracy rhetoric, we are witnessing in every corner of the globe an almost ferocious radicalization of inequality: the distribution of wealth is becoming ever more unbalanced in every country, and the world has witnessed the emergence of a super-rich elite in which power is concentrated. The nineteenth- and twentieth-century ideal of equality, still vividly alive just a few decades ago, is today faded and derided.”

There are solutions beyond today's (failing) consumer capitalism. Yet we keep chasing the elusive monster.

In the 2001 short film, American Dream, Bigfoot researcher Wayne Burton says, “I just want to prove to the world and to the people of the United States, …I just want to prove that we're telling the truth about this creature, we're not making this up, it's real…” In the longer 2006 film “Not Your Typical Bigfoot Movie” Wayne's partner Dallas Gilbert adds, “hi-o, hey-o, ti-a, hee-a may-a, mo-mo. Noq-ti-lace, beeee-tay; mo-mo, mo-mo, mo-mo.” This to attract Bigfoot. And back to the 2001 short, Dallas also says, “I'd like to retire with about half-a-mil for my wife and myself to retire with; be able to provide the little things I was not able to provide when my kids were little; and say hey honey let's go to take a vacation; I never had a vacation in my life; that's all I've done is work all my life… …I been married 23 years… …it's about time to have that vacation.”

Chasing the American Dream.

Chasing Bigfoot.

I would posit that in most cases it is not that one wants to feel important; it is that one wants to feel more important. More important or even most important relative to their circumstance and specifically regarding other individuals within said circumstance. This is a very narrow parameter compared to the more than 100 billion humans who have ever lived, the nearly 8 billion living in this moment, and the (hopefully) billions yet to come. But when one individual has the advantage of power in a given circumstance, and that one human wants to feel more important, it is often best to not only allow it but also to acknowledge it with understanding; which may look and feel like subservience but in actuality (I believe) is compassion. The bigger challenge is me having compassion when I also have the advantage of power. With the advantage of power, compassion, no matter how sincere, may look and feel like pity, condescension, and/or ego. Based on this premise then, if compassion is the desire to ease another's suffering, an individual wanting to feel more important must in actuality be suffering. Yes. Yes! But suffering from what? Fear? Rage? Yes! And the one in the position of having less power of course is suffering from having less power; suffering in any way the powerful deem appropriate. So, yes. We all, each one of us, regardless of circumstance, are deserving and worthy of compassion. Yet not all of us practice compassion; the powerful because they don't have to, and the powerless because they perceive it, so it becomes, resignation and/or subservience that is resented. Though I believe that if we could see past the real and/or perceived layers of resentment and ego, there is actual compassion, acknowledged or not. I would like to think it is in our nature. But unfortunately, today, our nature, our affinity for compassion, is in the back seat tongue-gagged and driven by powerful slander. From James 3:5-10: “How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell. For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed, and has been tamed by the human species, but no one can tame the tongue—a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so.” And in Matthew 12:36–37, Jesus says, “I tell you, on the day of judgment you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” I have taken to quoting the bible some of late because as Marilynne Robinson points out (in her 2018 book “What Are We Doing Here? Essays”) “…the groups who have been so successful at claiming Christianity as their own exclusive province have also been successful in associating it with intolerance, guns, and hostility to science, among other things.” And she also says, “Always, but certainly in situations when great things are at stake, it behooves Christians to think and act like Christians. This would mean practicing self-restraint, curbing our speech, remembering that our adversaries are owed the respect due to the divine image, which no one can be redeemed enough to be excused from honoring. Dystopian media arose with this Christianity of the Right. It would lose a great part of its market share if Christian standards were applied to its product, and then the atmosphere of this dear country would change in a week.” Today, the Christianity of the Right, the untamed tongue, the uttered words from which one may be condemned, appear to be one in the same. Today, our compassion is hidden beneath ego. Today it is more important to feel more important.