When he was young
The sounds of silence so soothing to listen to where visions of my past appear so often. We should all remember the tranquility of those simpler days when we had seasons in the sun. Rita, Ann, Mary-Lou and Sue were just some of the girls I met. The games we play is where the innocence was shown. Now that I have reached the Autumn of my years, I still remember those goodbye days. Fortunate to have traveled the world and to have seen the world through so many different eyes.
The world has turned so many times since I was young. Those simpler days of yore are now more complicated. The complexity of living is a reason for so much concern. But, through all my years of going past caviar and eating humble cake, I always remember those days when we frolicked in the sun. It is very sad that we let those days transform into a more sinister and dark world. Today, our leaders have displayed loyalties that make it nearly impossible for each of us to have stints in the sun.
Through the years since I was young I lived through the good and the bad. Many tears were shed When I was young, I thought I had all the answers. It wasn’t until many years later that I realized how many times I was wrong. I have worn many hats throughout my life. As a student, athlete, teacher, coach, businessman, politician and writer. Looks like I’ve come full circle. It’s a shame that more people stop learning once they reach a certain point. We should all be students throughout our lives. If we do exactly that, perhaps the world today would be a more stable and peaceful place.
When we have leaders who think they know all the answers, meaning Trump, and refute pieces of factual information, the world becomes a more dangerous place. The times we are living in today are testimony to what our leaders have not done and are continually doing. In all my worldly travels where so much poverty, horrible living conditions amid the sludge of human waste, the foul stench of human existence in so many places is inescapable. The political will to save human dignity in every corner of the world has been seriously neglected. The powers that be remain deaf to the cries of the impoverished multitudes.
As I have aged, where the gray has turned to white, the sadness of the times, even at this time of year when it should be the most wonderful time, has turned into its complete opposite. Our leaders today remain set on courses of inaction. As humanity’s plight grows, the lingering hope of safer and better days ahead seems to be a forgotten dream for millions. The reality, I fear, is that the changes needed to usher in a more benevolent world where empathy and not apathy are bestowed upon humanity will require a catastrophic cataclysm of disasters to finally get things right.
They say that the future is not promised to anyone. However, our fate is in our hands. The decisions we make will dictate our future. And, only through a constant evolution of learning can we make the right decisions that will preserve our heritage, restore human dignity, and ensure a quality of life unparalleled in human history. But today, with America so divided and lacking the ingredients that would bring this nation together, the political will to do so remains so elusive.
In all those yesteryears much could have been done and, in many cases, through the development of better technologies, medical advances and scientific wonders made human existence more bearable. However, with everything that was devised by man, many are still unable to access everything that was developed. Inequalities have only increased with each passing decade. With increasing inequality, there is great animosity that further increases the tensions and frustrations of a growing public. The divisions we are experiencing today are the net result of our leaders’ failure to implement policies that would bridge the gaps of the greatest wealth disparity in our history.
We can’t bring back the times when I was young. But, what we must do is make sure that the time we live in today and for the future tomorrow is to realize how far we have strayed from the security of the family unit, the sanctity of life, and the dignity that we deserve. every human. Once we realize this, we can begin to implement the reforms that would return us to a more benevolent society where compassion, humility, and humanity prevail in all aspects of our lives.