The “Who Knew?” Movement
After the burgeoning success of the “Black Lives Matter”, “Me Too” and “Time’s Up” movements, and all the other packaged, marketed public ideals that came before and after the celebrated “Just Say No” (to drugs) movement, now comes a new signal from a powerful group of uninformed, unwitting yet concerned Americans who are upset, unsettled and unfamiliar with the current backdrop regarding their general awareness. They’ve lost the plot.
Who Knew?
Who knew, that men shouldn’t abuse women? ...or that prejudice of any kind is bad?
Who knew, that thou shalt not ...disobey the ten commandments?
Who knew, that the constitutional amendments are not commandments, and that the first and second amendments, among others desperately in need of amending, are not blank check rights and privileges to insult and lie to the general public over airwaves and through cables, and mass murder one another with automatic military assault weapons? And if print is dead, you're not reading this anyway.
Who knew, that social media would change the world?
Who knew, that the 24 hr. cable news channels would become our nation’s biased and influential “by popular demand” voting machine?
Who knew, that a Donald Trump could become president of the United States? Who knew, that after thousands of gun related deaths annually, and the mass murders of our citizens and children inside the sanctity of their schools and places of worship, that our representatives and leaders would do nothing to protect them? Who knew, that the NRA would be so brazenly shameless as to actually sue the state of Florida for heroically passing stricter gun control laws?
Who knew, that humans could be so cruel to other humans because of their race, religion, gender, privilege?
Who knew, that health care could be so complicated? “Nobody knew that health care could be so complicated”, says Donald J. Trump.
Who knew, that a president placing his family, friends and special interests in key advisory positions would be a bad idea?
Who knew, that irrepressible greed and the continued bludgeoning of our planet and its precious resources would lead to worldwide planet-altering climatic repercussions?
Who knew, that civilized man would foul his own nest?
While there are still a lot of things to be happy about and thankful for, if you think about it long and hard, there’s also a lot to be depressed about, and at the very least, extremely concerned about.
Coming to an inner understanding and resolution, a self-awareness, of life, one’s surroundings, the good and evil the world and its people are capable of producing, the cruelties and tender mercies alike, and all that life has to offer in challenging and testing us, it all adds up to the true enlightenment for which we are bound. How we respond to these stimuli will determine not only the fate of each individual, but that of all whom we encounter and all that we touch. Mahatma Gandhi may have said that, but I’m not sure. Maybe its just my inner Gandhi thinking out loud ...or my inner Dylan.
If you look at the course of human events, how we’ve behave as individuals, in different cultures, in society, as a species ...no matter if your perspective is from religious dogma and scriptures or scientific hypothesis and law, we seem to be screwed in the long run if we don’t shape up.
Who knew, that while the universe is expanding, we could remain a hopeless civilization destined for extinction? Young Alvy Singer knew, that’s who, in Woody Allen’s iconic ‘Annie Hall’ ...but Dr. Flicker had the right answer ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5U1-OmAICpU
“We’ve got to try to enjoy ourselves while we’re here.” ...Who knew?
Fact is, we should ensure, each of us, that everyone enjoys themselves while we’re here. That should be the aim of our representatives and leaders as well, our government. Life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.
Looking around America these days, however, and the world over, but specifically America, because you’d think we should know better, the question seems to be, “who cares?”
We should all care. We all know better. We all should have known.
John Kushma is a communication consultant and lives in Logan, Utah.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-george-kushma-379a5762
http://newsbout.com/a/John+Kushma
