The Long and Short of It

I remember a time when they lied to us, of course they did. Lying is part of their persona. It tells us in not-so-subtle ways, that we are not intelligent enough to understand the diverse problems they are forced to deal with, on our behalf. I can understand that rationale, even if I don’t agree with it. Arrogance and assumptions make good bed fellows, if you are stuck in Alaska in an igloo with your worst enemy, and survival has become your shared goal.

But things have changed, but then they always do. Somewhere in the book of “Eternal Mandates,” it is written that change and time, are twins, not identical, but close enough for others to recognize the resemblance. Today however there is no attempt to slip the bonds of correctness, and slip into the deceptive behavior we had all become accustomed to. No, today they hit us in the face with the infamous pie. We are fortunate however that the ingredients although the same, are no longer adulterated with confusion. There is no longer a need, as we have decided to eat the pie emblazoned on our minds by the movie “Help,” and claim with the smile of a black faced Jolson, that it tastes just like we remember it, only fresher.

No, there is no longer an excuse needed to pretend that there may be an example of absolute power corrupting absolutely, but we no longer have to look for it, or pretend we misheard, or that it was a slip of the tongue. The proverbial cat is out of the bag, and is prowling the airwaves in search of us. By us, I mean anyone who has as yet to decide whether deception is easier to swallow than the hard tack of authenticated fact.

I do not claim to have twenty-twenty eye sight, although I do. I only claim that when I’m shown a lie, even if in full color, animated, sensory enhanced by high priced cologne, that cologne better have enough alcohol in it to cloud my vision. When I see someone beating another person with a flag pole, and it is being described as a sumo wrestling match, where the wrestlers are dressed in inflatable suits carrying rubber bats, I begin to question which planet I’ve arrived on.

Because we have accepted the fact that being lied to, is simply part of the game, we should not let the digression go unanswered. It would be doing a disservice to the integrity of our language, and the meaning attributed to words, to allow the manipulation of those words, to enhance that power, to go unchallenged. It is our duty to, if nothing else, protest. I am not asking that we take to the streets brandishing save our souls signs, but think. I believe that would be sufficient.

There are not enough of our elevated examples of leadership that are willing to forgo an arrogance massage, to attend a down to earth celebration of righteousness. By righteousness I don’t mean to imply finding a backbone, or a moral compass, just showing up without the attitude that they are God’s gift to the masses, would be sufficient in my book. There is a difference in my opinion to being considered to inept to comprehend, and being willfully stupid. I know the difference is subtle, but all things that matter are. Take the three levels of Divinity for example.

I believe it is time we shine the light where it needs be, on those that pretend the dark doesn’t exist because they own stock in the utility company that no longer provides, as all the electricity has been consumed by the shareholders. 

Vanity at one time was considered gauche. Gouache was considered, vulgar. Vulgar was considered offensive, and offensive was considered an affront to my personal sensitivities, which is a duty, I prefer to indulge in my own time, and with my own directed insinuations. 

I have concluded it all stems from our inability to listen, and their inability to say what they believe. We used to be told what we wanted to hear, now we are told what they want us to believe. Two entirely different scenarios unfold when that premise is used. 

First, being that we don’t know what is in our best interest, and therefore have to be reminded of our insecurity, and allow them to replace it with their version of the truth. Secondly, we can't tell the difference between being hit with a stone, and being interrogated by a military style weapon with additional magazines, at no extra cost. 

I believe it is time to stop being led down the primrose lane of illusions, and remember that when it rains it sometimes pours. Getting wet is not the end of the world, but pretending that it is, just might be.

When we spend more time building fences than appreciating the view, we not only lose our horizons, but have one more thing to maintain that is unnecessary, when fear is kept in the kennel behind the garage. 

It is time for us to take off the rose-colored glasses that turn our hopes for a peaceful world, a joyous family, and caring friends, into the surreal cravings of an addict whose tomorrows consist only of want, need and disillusionment.

It is time to listen to ourselves, not the expensive image who tells us we are not intelligent enough to know right from wrong, good from bad. It is time to strip them of their insincerity, and leave then naked and exposed, as are the rest of us, to the necessities of life. 

I realize honesty and truth have undergone an ethical and moral face lift, but underneath the alterations they are still there, hopefully less unattractive than we found them, as the price of alterations is often more than the original cost.

I would like all those who claim in the name of freedom, decency, and truth, to stand in the light, and show us who you really are, not just who you tell us you are. It would be a refreshing change in this time, when the air is just a breath away, from bursting into flames.