CAN'T YOU JUST SENSE IT?

 CAN'T YOU JUST SENSE IT?

Can't you just sense it - the world spiraling out of control.  The Israelis killing 50,000 Palestinians in retaliation for the killing of a hundred Israelis and visitors; Russia continuing its invasion of Ukraine with thousands of casualties and destruction; various Islamic groups in Africa indiscriminately killing thousands of non-combants.  The human race continues doing what it has done since written history and before.  

Here we thought we were better: more civilized, kinder, more tolerant.  Not so.  We, here in the United States, are also seeing a return of intolerance with the attack on what is called DEI.  None of us are sure what we are objecting to, or complaining about, but obviously we need to find somebody to persecute.  It's not only the American way, it is the human way.

It doesn't take much historical knowledge to understand that the human race is not a kind and gentle race.  It is a murderous race and always has been.  How do you think we got where we are?  The United States, contrary to what may be the prevailing concept of "us", has been as brutal as any other place on the planet.  We wiped out the Indians, we enslaved and tortured millions of black people, and we killed hundreds of thousands of our own in what we call the Civil War, half of whom were fighting to be able to continue enslaving and torturing black people.

Maybe capitalism will be the answer; maybe the pursuit of comfort and wealth through the capitalist system we have created will be enough.  No longer will we kill other people to get what we want, we will simply make stuff that makes our lives easier.  An air conditioner, stove, refrigerator, and heater will keep us mellow and satisfied with our lot and don't forget the thousand dollar sneakers.  Well, apparently that won't work.

One can not argue with the premise that the reason homo sapiens have been successful is for the reason that we kill any other life form that becomes an issue.  Isn't it said we are the epitome of creation, all other life forms are to serve us humans.   Our major religions have always condoned killing other humans; it is an established practice and if not currently universally observed always ready to surface.

The headlines on Sunday the 22nd of June say we bombed three nuclear facilities in Iran.  It doesn't say, nor is it important, how many people we killed, people with families, with children, with houses and mortgages and other such stuff of daily life.  The headlines say we bombed nuclear facilities; our president says we bombed nuclear facilities.  We certainly did.

The day that Hamas killed and kidnapped those people on the border of Israel, one knew it would not end well.  It has not ended and one does not know how it will end; but it will not end well.

Richard E H Phelps II

Mingo