Morning Sky, Pizzaonia View from Chapel Window, Pizzaonia
One of the great myths perpetuated during the 50s was the notion that if people knew about injustice, they would do something about it. Apparently, that myth for some is still in vogue today.
In the past, iconic legends of the press, when the press was still “the press,” were willing to risk most everything so ordinary citizens could know the truth. Their heroism was based upon the notion that if the public knew the facts, they would act on them.
How wrong they all were - has there ever been a time when people have more access to information than they have today. Granted, journalism has become infiltrated by editorial opinion masking as reporting the news, but for those willing to find the facts, they are more available today than ever before.
I am sure there are those who will disagree with this by pointing out the many gains that have been made by citizens willing to work and sacrifice to right a wrong. And, that many of the gains that have been made were started by the news media pointing the way with their reporting on the facts. And in many cases, they would be right.
However, what we have to acknowledge is that the concept of making the facts known to a receptive public in order for change to occur is no longer valid. The missing link today is action. If that were not true, many injustices would no longer exist. Does a day go by when we do not know of an inequality that seems intolerable and yet virtually nothing is done about it?
We witness many frequent attempts at advocacy by militant groups. Most of them go with little notice. It is hard to believe that the American public no longer cares. There is too much evidence to the contrary. The problem that we see from Pizzaonia is simply one of priorities. When individuals must deal with economic survival and then listen to an endless cacophony of political advocacy and doomsday scenarios invading every aspect of their experience, there is little time to take up and advocate for someone else’s causes.
The exception here is when a tragedy or injustice is close to home and occurs within one’s own community. Most Americans respond with great generosity. Unfortunately, most other causes get little attention, particularly when these injustices and tragedies occur on foreign shores.
The mood in the United States is also fertile ground for demagoguery. When people are overwhelmed, they are easy targets for the well-disguised hate messages from radical and reactionary movements. Compound this with the fact that currently all modern industrial countries are all undergoing basic, transformational change and the seeds of unrest begin to sprout rapidly.It is easy to see why. When you have a world economic recession, instantaneous world communication, globalization of world economies, automation of the labor force and the isolating of many Americans within a thriving digital community, you create a fertile ground for discontent.
For some this may seem counter intuitive; however, virtual digital reality while creating the illusion of greater community, actually socially isolates you in ways never experienced before. The lack of compromise and mutual good will necessary to find political and social solutions in the United States is not the creation of a divided Congress. It is the creation of a divided and very troubled electorate.
Finally, where does that leave you? The best advice is always; keep your own house in order as best as you can. It may not sound like much, but it is probably all you have. We believe the forces at play in the world today now have a life of their own. Political action may have some influence, but current events on this large of a world scale will eventually find their own resolution.
Let’s hope that the evolutionary dictum “survival of the species” is still the most basic animal instinct. It is probably the only reason we are all still here.
Brother Franco commenting from Pizzaonia, for "The Pizzaonian"
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