These same older men who call themselves leaders of men make sure their children never set foot on a war-torn land, let alone fight in battle. My time was in Vietnam. My dad’s time was World War II. My grandfather fought in World War I, and by no surprise, many of our children fought in Iraq and Afghanistan. This substantial literary truth didn’t happen by accident, but it did occur by design. Better you than me philosophy that reeks of prejudice, bias, and elitism. A system cannot fail those that it was never meant to protect. I listen to and see the social unrest around the world, and no one seems to care. Caring only comes when someone is personally affected by war. As for the ‘powers at being,’ they are to secure in the notion that they will continually go about their business unscathed and without worry. Empathy cannot be understood if financial concerns have never been an issue. Compassion cannot be felt unless you have lost a loved one. To enter into a thought pattern that solicits any form of understanding, I, too, must have lost something or someone.
The ‘Haves and the Have Nots’ where the latter suffer the misfortune of poverty and no voice. Such hypocrisy that we as Americans live under that sickens me more and more where the only intelligent agent we have is the voice of reason that no one pays any attention. This picture captures the reality of an America that doesn’t care. Therefore we all must stand and become that voice of reason. We all must behave in a way that displays respect instead of ridicule. Black lives don’t matter if we can’t usher in this keen sense of pride by modeling a path of direction with righteous intent. This young man was me!