So Who the Hell Do You Think You Are?
This was used back in the ’80s as a recruitment tool, challenging young people to become more active in their communities. To, quite frankly, just give a damn.
“We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen, are eternal.” — 2 Corinthians 4:18
When our society doesn’t even blink an eye at its government’s actions such as the bombing of Libya and the more recent ‘disinformation” campaign against Qaddafi, something is very wrong. When our local communities become plagued by racist violence and there is little or no opposition to this violence, questions aimed at the “hows” and “whys” need to be posed. People seem to find it easy to ignore these problems. They become apathetic and passive, as they attempt to “make it for themselves” by getting a well-paying job or by trying to feast upon the rewards of consumerism like mass-marketed designer jeans. People come to accept such things as racism and sexism as “just the way things are.” And although this country prides itself on its freedom, rarely is this freedom used to critically examine our society and its problems. Few alternative proposals are made for the direction of our communities or the world at large. We sometimes make the minimal political effort and select our politicians by the images they project to us across our TV screens. We place our trust in these politicians and allow for them to make decisions that affect each and every one of us.
When people do show concern, they meet with hopelessness and cynicism. There are no alternatives (or so seems) for people who care. Besides, the rewards of normalcy and not questioning a single thing seem so sweet. There’s always the comfort and security of “fitting in” with the regular ways of life….
What is so desperately needed is an alternative to all of this. Options for those who are concerned must be created. New ideas must be developed. Hopefully a concern for the state of the world (right down to its individual members) can be fostered. Simply caring is the first step….
We are not proposing new dogmatic organization that will tell its members what to think. We want something much more than this, for something much more is needed to change things. We want new ideas to develop free from control. We want open discussion that can help to define what is wrong and why it is wrong. We want a group that allows its members to think and work together. And by gaining a better understanding of the issues which face us today, we hope to do our part in finding solutions and changing what we feel is wrong in the world and our communities. We want to translate our concern into figuring out what should be done and then doing it….
If you think you like what you’ve just read and if you feel like helping out, please do so. We hope to involve as many people as possible. The group is yours. It will rely upon your involvement. All are welcome….
