Remember when you could talk to other people and find common ground? It didn’t matter what party you supported, we were all in this human race together and we would enter into a place of our worlds existing with each other. Kindly. Peacefully. Without judgement. Political parties were an aside for most communities. Neighbors were concerned with their neighborhoods, safety, the health of their neighbors and taking meals to the sick. Politics, as an identifier, was not a thing. We were all good people and met in the middle, on the commons. A Common is in the middle of a square in a town or city, where people would meet. It could include a park, a scaffold, a Fall Festival (not that other kind!) benches, gardens or picnic tables. Common: “A tract of land, usually in a centrally located spot, belonging to or used by a community as a whole.”
Well, as I see it today, there is almost no common ground left for the uncivil civilized society. That old stand-by, the weather, is even up for turning into an ugly political discussion.
As I quietly assume my place in this very unfamiliar jungle, I tend to silently seek out my own kind. It is by assessing behaviors, physical signs, health, conversation on the fly, flags flown, bumper stickers and my gut that I subtly pick out those who may also be an elephant. Mordor bubbles in the background of all interactions and I know character matters in this new game of chess. It is the only thing that is of any importance. This particular genre of character is defined as: moral excellence and firmness. Firmness. But, we are now stuck with the question of so-called good people vs. people with moral character. Is there a difference? Look around. Do we see good people scared out of their mind? Yes. Do we see them furtively going about their business, in that N-95 mask? Yes. One thing we see is their firmly founded fear on the outside, with the mask being a sign of their acquiescence, in probably more ways than one. 4 or 5 maybe? Good people, who did the “right thing, live among us. The Bullied turned into the biggest bullies. The Easy Prey turned into vicious predators. They embraced the lies wholeheartedly with a grip of iron. Now power has been added and they cannot release their grip. They refuse to ground themselves in truth. So, the electrocution of the populace continues and we watch in mute horror. One by one, these good people can take no more and they release their last breath and fall to the ground. And we know.
Living in an insulated bubble with fellow Cons is something I have taken for granted for a loooong time. Being thrust into a staycation in the actual jungle leaves me scratching my head about how best to proceed.
It feels like the movie Tremors. I am going about life and then something is coming out of the ground and forcing me and a few of my fellow Cons up onto a roof. The guy with the basement full of guns is the dude I want to be friends with. People are found dangling, dead, from poles and we get it. Something bad is out there and we had best figure it out. Then you have The Clueless; bouncing up and down on a pogo stick in the middle of the street, blissfully unaware of the danger that lurks down below. Until it eats old Charlie right in front of their eyes. Oh!! Now one would think the person on the pogo stick would get a clue. But in the Tremors Reboot 2022, other people join The Clueless on the pogo stick and they all jump together down the street of life, being devoured one by one. And they wonder why their fellow bouncers are being eaten? Instead of joining the people on the roof with the H&H’s, they boing-boing themselves right into the mouth of the beast. Nom Nom Nom. Being clueless has benefits…for the beast. Purposeful ignorance is sinful and it costs millions of lives. You cannot ignore a problem out of existence.
James 4:17 “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” So there. It doesn’t qualify that in any way. As soon as we know, we are responsible. Pretending on the outside that we are ignorant, but knowing on the inside we aren’t, seems to be the MO of the people on the pogo sticks. Seriously? How can you NOT see? God knows what is in our heart no matter what the lips plead, whether it be willful ignorance, shaming or judgement. Man looks on the outside and God sees our heart. Always. So, there is no escaping The Truth. EVER. I pray we all accept The Truth into our lives while we are still breathing, so the forever part of our existence is glorious and not on the hot side.
How do I test the waters? How do I find fellow elephants? Is there a pin? A fraternal order of Cons? A secret handshake? A bracelet? A little pfhhhhtttttt from my trunk? The poachers are after me and my fellow elephants. No doubt. It was hopeful that any red we saw would not be our blood in the water, but I guess it was. Sharks become ever more aggressive as we huddle together shaking our heads in confusion.
The parallel narratives continue side by side, never even coming close to overlapping. I use the analogy of an elephant, not because it represents any party. That is just happenstance. And, any elephant knows that it is an insult to be associated with such a clown show. We need to remember our strength and our power. We can’t afford to be deluded into thinking that we are weak. Keep seeking out fellow elephants and fellowship. Round up the herd and heed the trumpet call. Soon enough we will be facing the true call of the real trumpet and we need to be ready.
Fun, insightful and so timely. Your essays are a treasure. I love that you used Tremors! My kids were fans that movie, so I've seen it multiple times - though not in a long time. Very apt description.