Friday, July 22, 2011

We didn't start the fire?!





A friend of mine from the USA told me a couple of days back that there was another tornado warning for her area. This being a second episode that I had come across for her area I told her that maybe it was time for them to move out of that area. Then she said” where to?”
Yes that’s a major question that confronts any homemaker…where to go, where to settle, where to raise a family. It was all nice a dandy when we were kids… all these questions our parents or guardians took care of and we just went with the flow enjoying the little things in life. Now the world has become much smaller what with the media, twitter, facebook and many more advancements boring a hole in our stomachs. Giving us sleepless nights. Let’s face it most of us will tweet or use some form of technology before going to bed. I know I do and have to break this habit…a work in progress.
We are handicapped with our own inventions. Our fingers will soon become stronger than our legs and a new species will be born…that is if we don’t kill each other before then.
So as I was saying where can we go to settle down. Every time I think of buying another property to settle rather than as an investment this is the dilemma I face. I cannot find any place on earth which isn’t being threatened either by a natural disaster or by man’s ignorance and hatred.
Now let’s take South Africa as an example. It is truly heaven on earth. Where on earth will you find such diversity in fauna and verdure. Where on earth will you find so much forest and greenery still bearing the brunt of humanity and winning. A country with a beautiful horizon and landmarks and a smashing weather forecast that makes you want to sing every day. A country where you wake up with the beautiful chirping gossip of such colorful birds as you have never seen before. But alas our days here are short. You cannot take long walks after the sunsets without being hounded by shadows which lurk ready to cut your pockets and throats without an ounce of mercy. These shadows seem to become braver everyday and some have taken to daytime hunting. Bullets flay in towns hurting innocent people as police go hunting for these shadows. Hijackings go bad frequently with patients swarming in with high caliber GSWs.
Yes you start a family in this world yet you cannot keep them safe…..America being swept with their lot of tornadoes and heat waves. Tsunamis sweeping in from all sides. Volcanoes erupting their galore. Earthquakes crumpling some of our spirits. Revolutions shaking countries foundations. Draughts sucking our lives out…..and on and on it goes.
Innocent Monster
Sir Billy Joel put it very well in his song “WE didn’t start the fire”:
Ø  "Wheel of Fortune", Sally Ride, heavy metal, suicide,
Foreign debts, homeless vets, AIDS, crack, Bernie Goetz,
Hypodermics on the shores, China's under martial law,
Rock and roller cola wars, I can't take it anymore

We didn't start the fire
But when we are gone
Will it still burn on, and on, and on, and on

1 comment:

Cat said...

Hello, I replied to your comment you left on my blog page, but wanted to make sure you received it, so I thought I'd repeat it on your page as well ...
Wow, thank you Dr. Q! Such an amazingly thoughtful and inspiring message ... which really touched my heart! I really appreciate the fact you not only took time to read my post & blog, but that you then took the time & effort to comment on it. I have begun reading your blog and am quite enthralled. I will definitely add you & your blog to my reading list, as well as add you as a Google friend! The knowledge, stories, and compassion you share online (and I am sure in "real" and everyday life too) are priceless! Thank you for touching my life & heart today! The world needs more people like yourself! On a side note, I was wondering if you'd share with me what your experience has been like living in South Africa? It's one place I've always been interested in visiting, ... in fact, there's a great school there I looked into back in 2004 which offers a dual program for PsyD & JD, .. one which truly sounded pretty awesome. May I quarry where your country of origin is? I read on your About Me post that you considered moving to Germany, so I am really curious as to where you're from. I forget sometimes that it's fairly common for those on that side of the world (Europe, Middle East, Africa) to travel and move about, at least more so than we tend to do here in the US. It's not very often you hear of someone moving about from the US to countries in South America and other regions in the western hemisphere ... so it intrigues me. Same can be said for the knowledge of multiple languages. My husband's father was born and raised in Greece (and resides there now after living in the US for a good 30 plus years), and he knows at least 5 languages fluently ... same goes for his family members in Greece. In general, the US doesn't put much emphasis on the importance of learning more than one or two languages (and with that second language, it's almost never thoroughly taught nor spoken fluently), and frankly, it's rather a sad statement if you ask me. Anyway, I've completed gone of topic! LOL. Thank you again for your beautiful words of encouragement, support, validation & plain kindness. I look forward to reading more about your life and experiences! Blessings to you & your family!