What is it Going to Take
A counterpoint piece to something I wrote last week, or the week before.
This post is to illustrate that I do not object to fighting for a cause, I do object to the delusion that it will change anything.
Fuck is one of my favorite words. It covers all the bases, adding just the right amount of emphasis. Right now, the phrase that comes to mind is, we are more fucked today than yesterday. We are fucked because of complacency, we are fucked because we have turned into a gaggle of whipped dogs, we are fucked because we have relinquished all responsibility for our lives and the lives of our loved ones, and we are fucked because we are using excuses to relieve ourselves of the responsibility to take action.
Mike Malloy asked, on his radio show, "What is it going to take? How far do we have to be pushed before we push back." I would ask as well. How much are you going to take? How many hits before you hit back? When is it time to say enough is enough and what the fuck are you waiting for?
We know what is going on. We know that our chances of survival are slim to none. Is that any reason to lie down? Chris Hedges said, "I don't fight because I think I am going to win. I fight because it is the right thing to do."
A writer, named Don Bajema, that lives in New York, posted the following on his Facebook page:
"Friends, I'm sorry, but we are in a fight. An ugly, headlock on the sidewalk fight. I hate violence. I hate the ugly intimacy of combatants, the gasping, the struggle, the inflicting of pain. I hate it. But I hate concentration camps, war, racism, starvation, institutionalized sadism on the outnumbered, the weak, and defenseless more....
The circle breaks with me, and I hope it breaks with you. But I will not permit a lie or a liar in my presence. I hate to fight, but I hate to stand by and watch exploitation, cruelty, deception, prevarication, and outright lies even more. I can't stomach the thought of apologizing to my kids tomorrow for not standing up in the real world today."
The internet and social media provides an opportunity to fool us into believing that we are doing something.
Fights are ugly, unpleasant, bloody, and painful, but fight we must. If you think that you are a peaceful person and that you will not be called upon to fight, then you are wrong. How a person responds to a threat to those they love is a measure of character, it is a measure of who you are as a sentient being.
Character, morality, and courage are not tested in peace. They are tested in the trenches and in the streets and on the battlefield, they are tested when you are called upon to defend what is right whether or not you can win.
Anyone who has ever stood up for someone who could not stand up for themselves understands this. We are being called to a greater purpose, we are being called to defend, for as long as possible, the people and places we love. Will you answer the call or hide away in a dark hole, screaming at your television set and waiting for the end?
"In times like these, when long-standing patterns are disrupted, it is possible for a small group or even one person to change the course of history." I do not remember where I heard that, but it is where we are at.
I decided to fight during the 2024 election if Trump won. I'm an old man in his late sixties. I must defend my kids and grandkids if it comes to the worst. I'm preparing in case of the worst scenario. I have what I need and I'm practicing a few times a week. Make of that what you will.
It is better to die on one's feet than bow to a traitor.
One of our dear friends, an author of books about Arts and Crafts aesthetics and architecture, Jane Powell (RIP) used this very phrase. She wanted a Hello Kitty machine gun. She died of cancer in 2012, on November 11. Armistice Day. We fight systems. How do you fight systems? "Very carefully."