Truth is indeed stranger than fiction. Yet, all of our fiction comes from stories of lives actually lived, sometime ... somewhere. And our great works of fiction capture those moments in time, in lives, as vignettes. While in the process they also capture the truths of human failures, human triumphs, our frailties and our strengths. Stories that echo humanity's essence, year upon year, upon century.Our country is currently going through a very difficult time. It is, once again, experiencing the devastating fallout of years of unbridled greed. Many Americans are suffering, with many more to come. Some of those will blame the greedy perpetrators of our situation, and rightly so. Others will do as they have been conditioned and blame themselves. But for the vast majority of struggling Americans, there is a commonality of truths that span the history of our world.
They are the simplest of things, these common truths. And they are much the same throughout the world, whether you live in the African plains or in the richest country in the world. We find these truths to also span time and space in the history of man. They are what Thomas Jefferson referred to as "self evident". By his definition they included "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". But they are even more simple than that. People want to be able to live happy and full lives, free from economic servitude. They want to be able to raise healthy families with schools for their education. They want to be able to own a home. They want to be able to enjoy the fruits of their labors in leisure and comfort, free to laugh and free to spend time with those they love. They're not looking to be rich, or powerful, or famous. They simply want unharried and meaningful lives ..... lived in dignity.
But for some, that is not enough. For some it's important to have the biggest slice of the pie in the room. For others, nothing short of the whole pie will ever be enough. And it's for those people that I feel most sorry. For they have an emptiness inside that can never be filled. It is an insecurity and an inner terror of what lies beneath their own skin. And it feeds a fear of inadequacy, incompetence, and cowardice. Driven by their fears, they must forever overcompensate by acquiring and having as a measure of their self worth.
They would also seek to obliterate their inner tremors by amassing ever more power over the lives of others. And they are among those who cannot stand tall, lest it be upon the backs of those others, only able to rise above by pushing others down. They are frightened, vacant and empty shells. And the void will never be filled, to the detriment of those whom they despise who have grown comfortable in their skins, and who feel nothing to prove.
Yes, I feel sorry for these, the living dead. But not so sorry that I will not stand and fight them with every surviving dignified breath. For they are the true vampires, and must feed on the blood of the living in order to survive. But just as the light of each new dawn brings with it a terror for the undead of fables, so too can the light of scrutiny and truth cause those who prey on the living to shrivel and crumble to a mound of dust.
Not so long ago, while working in a warehouse, I formed a close relationship with my manager. We had a good deal of respect for each other and spoke openly of whatever happened to be on our minds. On one particular afternoon we happened to be sitting in our break room discussing politics when she suddenly asked me, "So, you're a socialist?". I was rather surprised, but when I saw she was sincere I replied, "Well, not exactly. Although I do believe in a social democracy. I'm more of a populist." "What's a populist?" I thought for a moment, and then finally answered."A populist is someone who has no problem with people getting rich, so long as it's not at everyone else's expense." At the time I don't know if she really understood, but it's a good bet she may understand now.
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