Dangling From a Petard of Betrayal
Like most things instigated by careless humans, a first failure of trust is a rather small, silent thing, perhaps a slip of the tongue, ignoring a greeting, a sly wink at a rumor, the inspiration that going back on a promise will be for the person's own good. Such a tiny note, that first one, from which a minor diminished seventh chord eventually builds to a howling crescendo.
Repudiation of all that's held close and dear is betrayal, and even a 'small' betrayal, a tiny breach of trust, is a mean and hurtful thing. When that betrayal is for monetary gain, it is especially repugnant, but we've seen betrayal for nothing more momentous that a nod of confidence or a quirk of opinion.
The American people have been betrayed - and not just the beleaguered poor or the vanishing middle class. All of the people have been betrayed and in that accomplishment, America herself - the idea of America, the reputation of America, all her past, her present and her future - have been destroyed. So, too, have we, the American people, betrayed our birthright, our responsibilities of citizenship, our nation, our hard won and long held belief in our own goodness, but most of all, we have betrayed ourselves, our children, and our children's future. The conscience of our nation has been pummeled, tortured and ultimately suffocated to death a thousand times over by benign neglect, blatant denial, and overweaning greed. We've turned betrayal into a commonplace commodity, an advertising gimmick, and a form of mass entertainment as meaningless and foolish as sitcoms and reality shows on evening TV.
It is difficult to point to the original moment when the first of that deadly line of dominos was flipped over. The clatter of falling tiles has been purposely muted although the occasional jarring sound left most of us with an uncomfortable feeling, a suspicion that something, somewhere was very wrong. No longer is it merely suspicion, however, for those with the courage to look and the will to see, the most recent betrayals - building upon those of the past - are loud and obvious. We long prided ourselves in having a moral compass, of being a decent and warm hearted people with shared and recognized values. That morality- that intrinsic knowledge of right and wrong - was the first victim.
Men and women of good conscience don't look upon expediency as a factor of time but as a weapon in the toolbox of the unscrupulous. People of good conscience don't look upon the pain of humans in poverty as an indicator of economic theory. People of good conscience don't look upon hungry or dying children in a wealthy nation as a form of natural selection. People of good conscience don't look upon older people struggling to retain their dignity as an entry into a marketing bonanza for geriatric merchandise. People of good conscience don't look at denial of quality education to all as a means of limiting advancement for minority groups or of assuring the advancement of only the inbred of a certain class. People of good conscience don't look upon the birth of a child as potential cannon fodder eighteen years in the future. People of good conscience don't look upon dwindling resources as an opportunity to dominate other cultures.
Ours was supposed to be an open society. Democracy in this Republic of ours was supposed to be transparent to all. We've been taught that our way of life was a beacon to the rest of the known world, a way of life worthy of emulation. We've always believed that everyone was born with certain inalienable rights - not just a select few, but everyone - that opportunity and working toward one's dreams were there for all of us. As had been our tradition for centuries, our shores and our national doors were open to all who longed to be free. We prided ourselves on being a melting pot, this nation of immigrants, of accepting the best of everyone in this best of all worlds. There was good reason for the pride we felt in ourselves. Unfortunately, we are learning each day that there is good reason for the embarrassment and shame many of us have begun to feel about what we have all become under the waving but dirty and tattered banner of 'foreign policy.'
Most certainly, people of good conscience do not look at the criminality of unnecessary war as a subtle means of enlarging bank accounts or as an efficient means of advancing a secret agenda or as an acceptable means of expanding authority and control over peoples or nations. Those people of conscience do not try to hide the reality, the number, the names or the return of their dead to those who love them, whose lives become less, whose hearts are broken and whose souls wander endlessly in search of a reasonable answer for the simple question: Why?
When a husband or wife betrays their vows of fidelity to a spouse, it is called adultery. When a religious person betrays his God, it is called blasphemy. When a soldier disobeys unconscionable orders, it's called insubordination. When anyone betrays their own nation, it is called treason. When the leadership of a nation betrays the people of that nation, is it sufficient to merely call it incompetence? Or expediency? When the people of that nation betray their own legacy of decency and themselves, is there a strong enough epithet for them? Or are they only the ultimate in the annals of the betrayed and the Betrayers, hoist upon their own petard of gullibility, ignorance and indifference?
Like most things instigated by careless humans, a first failure of trust is a rather small, silent thing, perhaps a slip of the tongue, ignoring a greeting, a sly wink at a rumor, the inspiration that going back on a promise will be for the person's own good. Such a tiny note, that first one, from which a minor diminished seventh chord eventually builds to a howling crescendo.
Repudiation of all that's held close and dear is betrayal, and even a 'small' betrayal, a tiny breach of trust, is a mean and hurtful thing. When that betrayal is for monetary gain, it is especially repugnant, but we've seen betrayal for nothing more momentous that a nod of confidence or a quirk of opinion.
The American people have been betrayed - and not just the beleaguered poor or the vanishing middle class. All of the people have been betrayed and in that accomplishment, America herself - the idea of America, the reputation of America, all her past, her present and her future - have been destroyed. So, too, have we, the American people, betrayed our birthright, our responsibilities of citizenship, our nation, our hard won and long held belief in our own goodness, but most of all, we have betrayed ourselves, our children, and our children's future. The conscience of our nation has been pummeled, tortured and ultimately suffocated to death a thousand times over by benign neglect, blatant denial, and overweaning greed. We've turned betrayal into a commonplace commodity, an advertising gimmick, and a form of mass entertainment as meaningless and foolish as sitcoms and reality shows on evening TV.
It is difficult to point to the original moment when the first of that deadly line of dominos was flipped over. The clatter of falling tiles has been purposely muted although the occasional jarring sound left most of us with an uncomfortable feeling, a suspicion that something, somewhere was very wrong. No longer is it merely suspicion, however, for those with the courage to look and the will to see, the most recent betrayals - building upon those of the past - are loud and obvious. We long prided ourselves in having a moral compass, of being a decent and warm hearted people with shared and recognized values. That morality- that intrinsic knowledge of right and wrong - was the first victim.
Men and women of good conscience don't look upon expediency as a factor of time but as a weapon in the toolbox of the unscrupulous. People of good conscience don't look upon the pain of humans in poverty as an indicator of economic theory. People of good conscience don't look upon hungry or dying children in a wealthy nation as a form of natural selection. People of good conscience don't look upon older people struggling to retain their dignity as an entry into a marketing bonanza for geriatric merchandise. People of good conscience don't look at denial of quality education to all as a means of limiting advancement for minority groups or of assuring the advancement of only the inbred of a certain class. People of good conscience don't look upon the birth of a child as potential cannon fodder eighteen years in the future. People of good conscience don't look upon dwindling resources as an opportunity to dominate other cultures.
Ours was supposed to be an open society. Democracy in this Republic of ours was supposed to be transparent to all. We've been taught that our way of life was a beacon to the rest of the known world, a way of life worthy of emulation. We've always believed that everyone was born with certain inalienable rights - not just a select few, but everyone - that opportunity and working toward one's dreams were there for all of us. As had been our tradition for centuries, our shores and our national doors were open to all who longed to be free. We prided ourselves on being a melting pot, this nation of immigrants, of accepting the best of everyone in this best of all worlds. There was good reason for the pride we felt in ourselves. Unfortunately, we are learning each day that there is good reason for the embarrassment and shame many of us have begun to feel about what we have all become under the waving but dirty and tattered banner of 'foreign policy.'
Most certainly, people of good conscience do not look at the criminality of unnecessary war as a subtle means of enlarging bank accounts or as an efficient means of advancing a secret agenda or as an acceptable means of expanding authority and control over peoples or nations. Those people of conscience do not try to hide the reality, the number, the names or the return of their dead to those who love them, whose lives become less, whose hearts are broken and whose souls wander endlessly in search of a reasonable answer for the simple question: Why?
When a husband or wife betrays their vows of fidelity to a spouse, it is called adultery. When a religious person betrays his God, it is called blasphemy. When a soldier disobeys unconscionable orders, it's called insubordination. When anyone betrays their own nation, it is called treason. When the leadership of a nation betrays the people of that nation, is it sufficient to merely call it incompetence? Or expediency? When the people of that nation betray their own legacy of decency and themselves, is there a strong enough epithet for them? Or are they only the ultimate in the annals of the betrayed and the Betrayers, hoist upon their own petard of gullibility, ignorance and indifference?
posted by kaz at 11:38 AM
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