Friday, September 4, 2015

A boy on the beach.

I am furious that humanity's mindless devotion to the concept of nation-states has resulted in yet another war displacing thousands of innocent people. When small children drown fleeing from the bombs dropped by their own government after being refused refuge by neighbors more concerned with maintaining control over arbitrary lines on a map, we as a species are truly less then animals. Fuck the violence inherent in the system, and fuck the system twice for good fucking measure. If I was not already working as hard as I can to end this kind of thing, I would not be able to live with myself. Anyone who can look at the image of a small boy's body washed up on shore and not recognize their closest loved one's face lacks the empathy to be counted among the ranks of sentient beings. This is the travesty that I fight. My whole professional career has been focused on mitigating the effects of violent authoritarians, both secular and religious, and despite what I have personally accomplished, I feel impotent. What can I do to fight harder? How can I dismantle the global system which enables powerful nations to destabilize whole regions, propping up tin pot dictators who then abuse those living under them? How do I fight theocratic lunatics who think that their bronze age fables justify horrific acts against others? I am a warrior, where is my war? I am a fighter, were is my enemy? And how to I defeat without destroying? It has been said that when you stare into the void, the void stares back at you. Looking away is not an option, so what can be done to prevent that terrible gaze from crushing those who oppose it? There is a rage, deep and powerful, that is the just and proper response to the abominations of this world. This terrible flame, this consuming fire, if not mastered, will destroy the heart in which it burns, creating yet another vengeful monster wrecking havoc on the weakest of the weak. And yet it is this very rage which fuels the souls of those who fight. This is what it means to be a true warrior, to be not a bringer of destruction, but to be a burning phoenix of peace, consuming your own life that the world may be reborn into hope. When that terrible vision from the void descends upon those who dare challenge it, the warrior lets that weight settle right down on his or her shoulders and moves right the fuck along with changing the world, knowing that the only thing awaiting that vision is the all burning flame locked within the heart of a true fighter. This is the strength that opposes without destroying, that fights without killing. It is the strength that pushes an innocent out of the way of a speeding car, that gives up days, weeks, or even years with loved ones to protect those who will never know they have been protected. It is the refusal to accept that the only solution is to kill. It is the voice that screams against those who support fundamentally unjust social and economic systems which benefit some while harming others. I will not accept that this is best we can do.  I will not rest unto those who wish to be strong learn that throwing a punch takes less strength then taking a punch. I will not rest unto those who wish to rule learn that true mastery is found only in service. And I will not rest unto those who think this is all part of some god's plan learn that such a god is worth fighting. 

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