I wonder if there ever was
a time when escape was possible. Maybe –
maybe not. But one thing is for sure –
today there is no place to hide!
Let’s begin with the
subject du jour – terrorism. There is no
place on this planet that is really safe.
Not a day passes during which people are not killed brutally, without
warning. It’s not only in war zones
where terror is around every corner. We
expect carnage in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Nigeria, Somalia, and the
rest. But Manchester? Orlando?
Moscow? Portland? And the rest?
There is no place to hide!
Inequality has always been
with us. As sure as the inexorable
movement of the tectonic plates on the earth’s crust will reshape our land, so
will inequality continue to be part of the human condition. We have always had the rulers and the ruled,
the rich and the poor, the haves and the have-nots. The difference now – with the Internet,
social media, and the instantaneous flow of information in all directions – is
that the spotlight shines brightly on the top 1%, or the middle class, or the
bottom 80%, whatever interests or angers you.
As a result, constructive or destructive action is more likely to
occur. Either way, there is no place to
hide!
“The Others” have never
been easy for us to relate to. If “They”
are different I am uneasy about them, or afraid of them, or hostile to
them. If they are a different color or a
have a different religion or come from a different culture or speak a different
language or have a different sexual preference, they’re not one of us and I am
uneasy, afraid or hostile.
And so we come to
immigrants – millions and millions of them, everywhere and no let up in
sight. The conditions under which most
of these Others live is horrific. But
have they been welcomed into new lands? With
few exceptions the answer is no. Quite
the reverse. Walls have been erected,
tiny quotas have been established, we have turned our backs and looked the
other way. Shame on us, starting with
this country of mine. Do we think the
problem will go away? Not a chance. And there is no place to hide!
All of this is just the tip
of the iceberg. With global warming the
ice may be melting, but it won’t melt fast enough to save us from needing sooner
or later to confront these and other issues.
Unrest is on the rise. It will
manifest itself whether we like it or not.
And there is no place to hide!
