“We hung out uptown a lot and she seemed quite nice and friendly.
“For some reason though, I got the feeling she was a fake blonde…and I wondered why she would do that ’cause I’m not a fella that cares whether a woman is blonde or not. Despite my suspicions, she insisted that that was the real thing.
“Well, she forgot that I would find out the truth downtown”…”The Life and Times of Johnny Amazon”
Wherever you find human beings associating with each other, you will find good as well as evil. It’s just part of the dynamic of existence that appears to have existed from the inception or almost-inception of humanity.
No matter the form of government or lack thereof, we seem collectively incapable of not being evil. Thank God that there are always among us, though, people who see evil and are stunned, alarmed, sickened…and who oppose it.
Every form of so-called civilization and government tried has produced both evil and good in varying degrees, and for some at the expense of others. This includes capitalism, communism, socialism, fascism, monarchies, colonial domination, secular and theocratic systems, democracy and totalitarianism…and the list goes on.
To be sure, it is my belief that the American form of political and economic system is the best of the lot – but by no mean do I believe that it is perfection. There is no perfection under human forms of governments.
Corruption, graft, duplicity, bribery, police brutality, inequities in legal and judicial proceedings, planted evidence, discrimination, harassment, coercion, false evidence, unemployment, homelessness, drug and alcohol abuse, poverty, people falling by the wayside and between the cracks – these all exist around the world. It’s just that I believe we stand a better chance in America to seek redress, to pursue justice, and to come as near as possible to the ideal.
Perhaps, the only way to ever attain that utopia, that truly fully just and perfect world is when the kingdom of God is established. Maybe there’s something really awesome, after all, in the Lord’s Prayer….”Our Father in heaven…your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven…..”
Be mindful of falling victim to so much skepticism and paranoia that you always see a dark and sinister side to everything that occurs. Sure, not everything can be taken at face value, but also not every person, event, or place is dubious and part of a scheme.
Critical thinking is important. Following a bunch of people around looking for conspiracies and hidden agendas behind every occurrence can rob you of proper mental equilibrium.
Never hate so much – whether for political, personal, professional or other reason – that you put on blinders from reality in a deceptive pursuit to flush out falsehood everywhere, every time, in every place.
“They say to smile and the world will smile with you. For some strange reason, it never seems to work for me, though.
“Take today, on this humid summer morning here in NYC. I walked out of my apartment heeling all sticky and sweaty, but with a cheery perspective, smiling at everyone on the street, waving to passersby, even attempting to crack jokes with the cop at the intersection directing traffic. I was in such a jolly mood, I even recited verses from the works of Milton and Shakespeare as I tumbled along.
“No one reciprocated my warmth and cheeriness. I did see a senior lady whip out her cell and a few moments later a van pulled up, and a man in a white coat followed by another with a net, dashed after me. I darted into the subway and am sitting here typing this status update, still trying to figure what that was all about.
“What a weird world we live in. Oh well, not to worry, though. My day is still off to a decent start. Even as I keep on smiling and reciting my verses, I am thankful that I somehow always end up getting a whole subway car to myself! Now if that isn’t getting off to a great start of the week here in NYC, then I sure don’t know what is!
“Happy Weekend, folks!…”Escapades of Miles Alex”
“Sometimes, one has to be resourceful to get by in life – especially when things don’t fall into one’s lap as they might sometimes do for others around one.
“When I was a lad, folks would always come up to me and say,
‘Son, when you grow up, you’ll have a hard time landing a good woman. These days, women go for looks or money, and since you have neither, you’d better be prepared to be a bachelor all your life.’
“See, I could have run for the hills, become a monk, or given up on life. But I did not. I did find a third way to snag a lovely woman. When all else fails, there’s always charity.
“The moral of my story is this – looks and money may get you in, but you can easily lose either someday. Never give up if you lack both. Your lady may not get a tax write-off, but if you can win her over by appealing to her charitable instincts, there’s no need to write yourself off either.”….”Tips For My Male Buddies”…Miles Alex.
“I’m not one to fall for deceptive ads. I mean, I walk into a showroom and I never let the sales rep talk me into something I don’t really need. But I guess, loneliness drove me to scour online ads for a wife from the Far East. And I figured, what the hell, these western gals don’t even wanna turn on the kettle for their man when he comes home after a hard day’s work.
“So I figured I’d kill two birds with one stone and get a companion as well as a cook. The ad said she was a hot babe and that she was also good in the kitchen.
“Well, I met her as she disembarked the plane. Damn! Either this was the old bait and switch where she sent me her friend’s pics or she had photoshopped her original pic beyond recognition before emailing it to me. The only thing hot about her was the fever she caught when the plane flew over Alaska on its way to America.
“And good in the kitchen? Yeah, it was there that she would always devour the take- out I was forced to bring home every evening after work when I learned she did not even know how to light a stove”…”The Sad Life and Times of Johnny Amazon”
My dear readers, I often write pieces on group associations and living in a diverse world. I try to point out both the positive aspects of groups and their limitations, in the context of the world at large.
While I too enjoy camaraderie with various groups with which I might share some commonalities, I am mindful not to believe that life is all about “my group vs. your group,” or that everyone in “my group or groups” will necessarily hold all the ideals and positive characteristics that will make the world a better place.
My writings are not intended to demoralize or ridicule anyone or to pull the rug out from under them. I know that it is often comforting for many to see life as black and white and to think that one’s own group – whether based on religion, race, tribe, ethnicity, or nationality – will be the one that holds all the virtues needed to make the world a better place.
Many of you know by now that I do not subscribe to such a notion, for I believe that there is good and bad in all groups, in every geographical area of the world, and every stratum of society.
My writings are not meant to debunk the myths that exist just to leave readers hanging in despondency. They are meant to offer a better alternative – one that sees the beauty of sharing common characteristics with others in one’s group without denying that evil as well as good exists everywhere.
It is my deepest yearning that once this becomes accepted, some readers will then see life in a better and more truthful way…and end up working collectively with all others to make the largest group to which we all belong a better one for us all.
That group is the group called the human race.
Anyone who has been a victim of racism has endured one of the ugliest and most despicable of all human experiences. To be hated, disliked, or discriminated against purely because of one’s skin color, and not one’s character, leaves one demoralized – even if only temporarily. One is in good standing to feel resentment at the perpetrator of racial bigotry. And it gets worse if that perpetrator wields some power or authority and can make decisions that affects one’s feeling of well-being or security, or deprives one of an opportunity not denied others of a different race.
One must be careful, though, as difficult and arduous as it might be, given the magnitude of the racism, to not react by assuming that ALL members of the bigot’s race feel identically as he or she does. And one must not consequently, in turn, harbor hate and prejudice against the racist’s own race because of his or her actions.
In doing so, one falls victim to the same generalizations, the same ugliness, and the same mentality that characterize those who discriminate against others or harm or deny them legal or other rights because of their race.
To be sure, there have been times in human history, and it even occurs today in some parts of the world, where racism was or is institutionalized. When (as in the days of “recent” world history) during slavery or the Holocaust or apartheid, entire groups were victimized by large racial/ethnic majorities, it was understandable for victims to react with fear or anger against those races whose members hurt them.
Throughout history, it has been an ugly characteristic of human nature to feel prejudice against others for their race or ethnicity, religion or creed, class or caste, or some other similar distinction. And when the discrimination is part and fabric of everyday life, of the legal apparatus, or of custom, such institutionalization seems to leave little or no alternative for victims but to react with hate at those groups whose own hatred deprive others of their own rightful place.
Barring such a status quo, for those who live in places where prejudice in not universal or legalized or institutionalized, it is essential not to harbor hate against all members of any race because of the acts of specific individuals. And even in those circumstances, one must note that even large majorities do not speak on behalf of ALL within their group.
If one were to do hate others or to discriminate against them based entirely on their race, one would be applying the same unsound, unjust, erroneous, irrational and ugly rationale applied by the one whose bigotry has caused one angst or pain.
A famous author once wrote that you can never go back home again. This is so true for most who emigrate to new lands.
Many yearn for the beautiful things they left behind, often momentarily forgetting the reasons that made them leave in the first place. The strategies they employ to deal with that vary from one individual to another. Some find it best to so totally immerse themselves in their adopted homelands that there’s no room for yesterday. Others live a surreal life of one foot here, one foot there – not physically, but via cultural and other associations, and access to foods, entertainment, shopping, and events that are overseas versions of what they left behind.
Yet others, torn between two loyalties and emotional attachments, and often despondent of what they must deal with in the new, physically return home. If stats are any indicator, though, most return to their new home after a short sojourn in the old country. They soon realize that the past cannot ever be fully duplicated. Yes, the geography is the same, but the memories involving family,, friends, and childhood can only be recaptured partially, if at all.
I guess Thomas Wolfe was so right in his book, “You Can’t Go Home Again.” But that applies not just to places of geography, as Wolfe himself surmised. In the human life cycle, we go through so many changes and events. Marriages dissolve, relationships go awry, classes graduate, careers change, jobs turn over, neighbors depart, and neighborhoods change.
It’s all part of life, I guess. But so is romanticizing about yesterday and emoting for the good of the past, present, and hopefully also the future. Both nostalgia and forging ahead are integral parts of the human psyche and life cycle. We all reminisce….but sadly, ever so often, we can never really go back home again.
People often criticize the U.N. as being a meaningless body because conflicts within and among nations still continue. Some even call for its dismemberment.
Only Amighty God can stop all hostilities…until that day, we need the U.N., just like we need the police and other law enforcement.
Sure, crime continues…but think of how many incidents also have been prevented because of the police. Likewise, we must acknowledge that the U.N. cannot stop all wars… but its validity rests in those it has prevented.
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