The elders giggle

By Victor L. Midyett

I watched the American PBS news one afternoon a few weeks ago. They discussed several observations of people being fearful and not willing to connect or talk with their neighbors anymore, or urban dwellers v. rural dwellers. Closer to home, communities v. communities, organizations v. organizations, friends v. friends, family v. family, the employed v. the unemployed. Perhaps even churches v. churches.
    People are not willing to walk in the other fella’s shoes. Why has it become so hard?
    Another question to ponder is, “Are we doing this purposefully, or is someone or some ideology jerking us around like a puppet on a string?” Are we truly happy with what we have become? Why are we seemingly unwilling to collectively think critically of the entire/whole situation and create a positive dialog that could lead to a mutually workable outcome?
    Confucius is said to have said:

The easiest thing to do is to complicate something, and the most complicated thing to do is to simplify it.

It seems to me that personal will is the stumbling block. A simple, historic truth hit me as I was contemplating this. All of the Native American tribal elders are surely giggling. They are watching the “white eyes” unwilling to consider each others’ positions and unwilling to walk in each others’ shoes or to discuss a third option that might be good for all.
    The elders giggle and think to themselves, That sounds familiar, and Yup, like we have always said, what goes around, comes around, so learn from it as we have had to.

Copyright © 2018 by Victor L. Midyett