Maybe, you’ve seen that stupid bumper sticker, “He who dies with the most toys wins.” It is pretty easy to have a lot of things when you’re older as most things you buy when you’ve aged are going to outlive you. The things I love about getting older is realizing life isn’t about having things. Most of us as we age realize that and the proof is that we have garage sales to get rid of all those things we thought we had to have. What a real waste of money and time. We find that those” things” are just trappings that we spent too many hours at work to get. We could have served our family and community better by giving them more hours of our time instead of wasting it on the pursuit of “toys” we thought would make us happy. Sadly, like many things in life we only learn this in our later years. The best thing about aging is realizing there is nothing left to learn the hard way.
The thing I don’t like about getting older is all the aches and pains. I’ve had to adapt to ease all of these pains. I have to be very careful of not injuring a knee I’ve had several surgeries on stemming from a bad car wreck. I use orthotics and buy shoes that have thick heals to help with painful heel spurs. I have to sleep with a pillow between my knees to ease a back injury caused from years of working hard physical jobs. Truth is my back goes out more than I do. I can’t sleep on my right side as the bursitis in my right hip will act up. I get out of bed slowly with my eyes closed because I am afraid of having a relapse of vertigo. Before standing up after sleeping I do some neck exercises that help reset my balance so that the room won’t be spinning when I open my eyes. Before I stand, I slip on my shoes unlaced because if I walk even a few inches without my orthotics my heal spurs will stab me. I may sound like a wreck headed to the scrap heap but this wreck still has reasons to be scrappy.
To complain about all my aches and pains is not my point. The point I want to make is that aging has shown me that I’ve had to make compromises and adapt for my physical well-being. While I’ve had to do that I refuse to make adaptions or compromises for my children’s future well-being. I’ve talked before about how my goal is a better planet for my two kids. The people, corporations and organizations that are in the way of that better planet don’t compromise or adapt. They are the ones who have declared war on the working-class in our country. You can ignore that war or like me decide to fight back. There will be no treaties I will sign as I know from history of the hundreds of treaties with Native Americans that were always violated by the powers that be. Native Americans still long for the days of BC: before Columbus, before Caucasians and before Custer.
I’m in for all or nothing as I won’t even accept a backup plan. Such back up plans give the inch that leads to the mile that will do us in. I am opposed to evil things like wars. I won’t accept back up plans called, “shock and awe” that will get the killing done quicker to supposedly end the war sooner. When corporations like Bechtel and Halliburton are making record profits from war do you think they want a peaceful planet? Do you think they care about how many of our sons and daughters die in war or their profits? These military suppliers have an endless weapons buffet that has been devouring our younger generations and our tax dollars for far too long. These war machine corporations own our “representatives” so there can be no political compromise or adapting to the amoral way they pedal death for profit.
We are also faced with corporate profiteers that want to rape ANWR and even our backyards with Marcellus Shale drilling. We are faced with people who want to rape our Earth and they have supporters everywhere. A local Earth rape supporter is, Warren Tribune Chronicle editor, Frank Robinson. Editor Robinson talked about, the highly respected very generous Wean Foundation and the MVOC (Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative) whose mission statement is “Our goal is to link neighborhoods to larger community initiatives; regional, state and national for the betterment of the Valley.” Robinson suggested these two organizations get together and promote Marcellus Shale drilling in local urban areas. The editor wants people to forget about all the dangers of this type of drilling and just let the corporations come in and start the raping and destruction that future generations will have to live with. People are talking about compromising by having overseers and inspectors keep an eye on the Marcellus Shale drillers. The energy companies have already bought our politicians and they would do the same with anyone involved in the inspection process. It’s 2011 and high time to get off the oil addiction and find safer more natural ways to provide energy. There can be no compromise on rape in society or for the rape of Mother Nature.
Robinson is a paid corporate tool but we don’t need to sell our souls and our children down the river for short-term greed. Yes, there are a lot of injustices in our world and a small group with money and power is fighting to keep things that way as they benefit by it. We also have the Native Americans to show us that compromising and adapting with the powers that be is a losing formula. I want a world free of suffering, exploitation, oppression, injustice and war. I want a world where man gives Mother Nature the respect she deserves by being her loving caretaker. I know all of this is possible and will not accept that it can’t happen. Along with all of my physical pains I have the gentle pain of hope that my children will inherit that better world. I don’t believe a parent could leave a more loving inheritance.
Jimmy Cliff: Material World
Eddy Grant: War Party
As a child I understood how to give, I have forgotten this grace since I have become civilized.~ Luther Standing Bear
Elecpencil 