We must embrace ‘the bright side’ before it’s too late
Embracing the Bright Side
Around the world, because of the media, people are more than ever seeing and hearing what is actually happening everywhere. (We didn't really know what was going on around the globe until recently.) People are now responding to this new access and the shrinking world with fear, panic and anger, and they blame whoever their leader is at the time. Then they try to replace them with somebody totally different in their search for change.
If the present leader is educated, reflective, capable or moral (which is often the case), they still replace them, but they often replace them with somebody who is much worse. They say they want someone who is from the outside, dramatic, impulsive and “just like me.” They demand this person even when this person has no idea what's going on in the world, or what leading a country, in this interconnected, complicated world, might entail. Of course, the result of this is to put their country in jeopardy as it starts drifting into chaos, hate, negativity, division, and even persecution.
I loved the “Star Wars” movie. It depicts a struggle between the weak, dark side of power that is evil, and the strong bright side of power that is good. All of our religions, as well as many of our groups, and even our own conscience, recognizes this ancient dichotomy. All religions teach us that you cannot fight evil with more evil, or violence with more violence, because all that does is bring on more evil and violence. You cannot rid yourself of frustration by blaming and eliminating the first thing in front of you, because if you do, your frustration will only be worse.
This is what people all over the world are doing right now. Some are even blaming the people who have been innocently evicted from their homes, by the powerful bombs of the nation's destructive wars, for becoming homeless refugees. They thus are ridiculed and turned away from the borders of the responsible nations, even though every country in the world, except where hominoids evolved a million years ago in Africa, is made up of refugees. Even in North America, Native Americans were refugees just 10,000 years ago. All the rest of us are brand new immigrants just off the ship. Thus nations are turning away helpless men, women and children to leaving them to starve or be killed by more of their insane bombs.
If we have to blame someone or something, why don't we be honest and blame our own violence and retaliation rather than on the poor refugees who are struggling to survive it? Why don't we try to stop the wars rather than trying to stop the migration of the refugees?
Some countries are turning on refugees who are already in their countries. They are even reverting back to old prejudices of race, religion and minority status to attack them. Of course this can only further divide the country and the world and erase all morals.
However, as I said, the most threatening thing is that nations all over the world are blaming dedicated, intelligent, kind leaders for the evils that are happening around the world. That is so sad because it's always important to have the best, most knowledgeable people in office. We must have people of integrity with a dedication to the bright side of what's good for everyone, and not people who are just dedicated to the dark side of pride and power.
It does seem that nations are suddenly evolving backward, as they espouse things that should have long ago been discarded. If the nations continue to do this, another brand of The Dark Ages could emerge, another age of fear, vengeance, war and suffering, where no one wins, and all are left blind, miserable, and lost. This is where the dark side always leads, and it's what the recent actions of the nations could indicate.
But we have faced rough times before? Still, somehow, we have managed to dig out of it. Let us hope that we can be wise enough to reverse this irrational trend so we don’t have to do that again. Let us also hope that this time we can find some way to permanently embrace the bright side to evolve into real peace, equality and justice for all.
The writer lives in Murrells Inlet.
This story was originally published December 10, 2016 at 4:30 PM with the headline "We must embrace ‘the bright side’ before it’s too late."