“Do not run away; let go. Do not seek, for it will come when least expected.” (Lee)
The armed man unloaded three shots at cops, and then ran. Cops returned fire and missed. Thankfully, none of the shots made their targets. The armed man disappeared into the night, stolen Nissan Rogue his chariot.
Just another night down my street. Last year, my bike was stolen off the back of my SUV. A few months ago, my SUV was egged. This year, the violence is more palpable, present, and pervasive.
Riots. Protests. Anger. Rage. In the Twin Cities where I live, there are charred husks of disruption, voices of pain captured in charcoal and spray paint.
The fires of change roar mightily and severely ahead of the first debate in our election cycle, pitting the King against our best current option for counterbalance. While I'm not a huge fan of Biden, the Trump virus must be exorcised at all costs. American democracy and integrity depends on it. I consider myself a Globalist first and American second, so while the fight isn't completely mine, I want to see America go in a different direction.
An end to MAGA, and a start toward MEGA - Make EARTH Great Again. America's place in it. Our relationship to it. And our relationship with each other.
Sadly, I know many in my audience will read this and strike a dissonant position. The fabric of friendship and society at large have both been greatly strained by covid, by cycles of partisan propaganda, by the fear of a society facing serious disturbance and turbulence.
The people are deeply afraid. Not just to vote, but of the recognition that our opinions are suddenly meaningless, as if the race we were all running together has abruptly stopped and we realized the course was rigged for all of us all along. Sure, the white power structure mostly created the game and took full advantage of self-sustaining riches and wealth that comes from self-appointed affluence and feudalism. We have bowed to Kings and Queens for generations, allowed them to believe they owned our lives with their coffers in exchange for protection.
But in reality, there's no one protecting us. There's no one here to save us. Wars are fought by Patriots told they're dying for a just cause, when billionaires and corporations benefit most from the dead soldiers. Unstable cops become crooked by corruption, when they should uphold the law equally to all. Justices are poisoned by myth and faith, when they should be looking out for what's best for all of humanity, first and foremost.
Principles mean nothing if not guided by altruistic and harmonic purpose.
Fear tortures us. Fear manipulates us. Fear divides us. Fear has us chasing dreams that we cannot reach. Fear has us hurting each other to secure our piece of the survival pie.
In the harming of others, we harm ourselves beyond repair. The ghosts of damage never leave our side. The spectre of greed hovers like a wicked nurse.
Bigger is not better. Less is more. We chase riches and burn the fuel of time in our engines.
When will enough be enough?
When will we recognize that the chase isn't worth the sacrifice?
When will start to elect leaders that speak for us all, not just those who own the present track?
The last year featured me chasing my dream with all of the resources I was able to collect over the last decade. I raced out of my stable life with guns blazing and revolution on my horizon. Ultimately, the chase didn't go as planned. The road was fraught with danger and struggle, and the image I had in my mind of escape was colored by bullshit, self-help propaganda, and an overload of self-confidence.
Along the way I lost myself, but was reacquainted with someone I dismissed along the road:
The Survivor.
Somewhere, there's a man with three fewer shots in his gun, a police squad chasing him, and an inevitable life on the run. However he managed to arrive at that scene, his odds of survival have been reduced. All of his dreams have been exchanged for nightmare scenarios, and survival is now his penultimate priority.
Feels like the story of each of us in 2020, minus the blaze of glory.
#xoterica
