Food for Thought

The maple trees across the brook are yellowing creating brightness through dark of the oaks and hemlocks. Titmice, chickadees, nuthatches, and a lone one-legged cardinal swoop down to the deck to grab seeds. Pele-kitty gets excited and chatters at them.

It was cold out there earlier in my bare feet as I put up the feeders and took a couple photos. The brook, speckled with spots of sunlight, shows the water still very low in spite of the recent rain.

Once more I am fascinated by history and how, as many things (such as technology) changes, many other aspects remain the same. With reading, listening, conversations, and TV, I am seeing more and more the repetition.

The powerful make false promises, the masses believe in those promises, then the ax falls. Freedom of speech is not allowed (it’s “politically incorrect”), dissenters of what is happening “disappear,” unemployment rises as small businesses close, the rest (besides the hugely rich) become more impoverished as taxes are raised to pay for more government funding.

This has been happening throughout the world since the beginning. Names change, but the actions of one people taking over another remains the same.

We Americans have been fortunate. (I’m not saying we’ve been perfect.) Most of us have enjoyed many freedoms... most of us working for those freedoms and opportunities! We work hard to maintain freedom to choose what to do with our lives. It now looks like the false promises will further take away those freedoms and more.  

Is that why there are some factions in this country wanting to destroy America’s history? Is it so every day people can’t recognize when history is repeating itself? Is it so people can’t recognize what didn’t work in the past so as not to repeat it?

But it’s not just about American history. Look at the history of the world. There have always been those wanting power over others. Tribes conquer other tribes, nations dominate other countries, one form of power wants to take over the world, then another power comes along. There will always be Genghis Khans, King Tuts, Mussolinis, Hitlers, Stalins… the list can go on.

Look at early exploration when European countries discovered new places, and it didn’t matter if people already lived there, that new country took control with bigger and mightier military. And, in the end, the conquered have often become slaves, or like slaves, to those who took over.

You can read past speeches made by those leaders and see almost the same thing being said today, similar promises being made. Read your history books (and not the ones given us in school). Find history programs to watch. Make your own decision as to what to believe. Don’t just listen to words. Think about if what is being promised could actually come to fruition.

And always ask, “Where’s the money from these new programs and help coming from?” Do you believe the government can just go to the treasury and say, “Print me out a billion dollars?”

Think about it! Use common sense.

Some days it’s hard to feel wholehearted when I see some of the news reports. I try to avoid them because it’s upsetting and sad to see how we’re falling. I’m getting braver in admitting how I feel and what I believe, though.

For the most part, I build my virtual moat and wall. I’m not feeling very hopeful these days and I’m trying hard to keep my spirits up. I’m glad I’m on the older side of life. Although the U.S. is not perfect, I am afraid this country will become a new fascist or communist country … and we’ve seen how that’s worked in the past.