Uncertain Times

         There is so much going on in our country right now, especially in the political arena, and it’s downright scary. Some believe much of the issues revolve around racism, yet not everyone is racist!  

There are those in neighborhoods who describe the same kinds of issues, that fanned the flames of the1968 riots, in cities around the nation. Are they right?  It depends on perspective.  Some blame police, other protesters and others, who don’t have a clue, are just along for the ride!  It’s an election year and some even blame the President or other leaders!  The truth is, we all need to look into our hearts and see how we feel, and then make a conscious effort to not play into this destructive mindset.

         It’s sad, but interesting to note, history has a way of repeating itself.  It seems we as humans, have the uncanny knack of forgetting what was before, and reliving those same problems and with as much intensity.  It seems lessons just can’t be learned!

         This isn’t just true for the negative side of life.  Artists do much the same thing.  This is especially clear in the Renaissance era.  Following the Middle Ages and the Black Death which stole the lives of nearly half the population in Italy, was a time for “rebirth” or a “Renaissance.”  The people began placing humans on life’s stage, who were filled with energy, new thoughts and values.  This led them to consider what they believed to be the best art and literature available in history:  the Greek and Roman period.  From there they blended the old with the new that mutated into something unique, something special which created a new life that energizes people even today.

         We’re no different, even on a day to day level.  We move from season to season, blending what was with what is to be and make the most out of it.  Our lives are fashioned around what we know and what it is yet to be learned.  It becomes the vitality of the human spirit which drives us on to new beginnings and challenges, which are still being created.  The lives we lead are not to be stagnant and dry, but exciting and exhilarating.  There is a reformation and revolution within our mindsets which expounds on what we know and what we want to know.  

         We desire, as a people, to reach further, higher and deeper into places yet undiscovered by man.  We want to understand what is going on around us, in us, through us and through others.  We want to create something greater than what already is.  This is what enables Scientists to keep digging deeper, architects to try new challenging designs, medical technologists to continue to carve out new methods of fighting disease, or even the parent who tries to frame their efforts around what they have learned, but with a slightly different perspective.  It’s an effort to be better and we see it in all walks of life.

         But we can’t help but look back and remember that which we thought we’d learned, and yet were deceived, by our very own human nature.  Man is selfish, greedy, self-centered and much less than good.  Our minds become so focused on self and what we want, we often block what “should be,” from what we have learned.

         Sometimes I wonder when we became so immune to what we learned.  Or does it mean we never really learned it at all?