Poppea and Nero Have the Head of Octavia Brought Forward to Them by Giovanni Muzzioli – Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons
I wonder sometimes if there ever was a similar government and its head in history as the one coming up on Monday, 20th January…?
They say Nero in ancient Rome was made fun of, at the time and in later centuries; considered to be downright crazy and not to be depended upon. He apparently set fire to Rome, and had his mother and his first wife murdered.
Four years ago a person that has been ruled a criminal several times over in front of legal US courts, incited an attack on the US Capitol. A building that is one epitome of a republic claiming to be the oldest existing democracy and the seat of its parliament.
And here they all are, be that Microsoft, Apple, Uber, amazon or Boeing: Millions of dollars donated just for the inauguration. Licking his boots.
The most pitiful spectacle is Trump himself who earnestly sends a message of ‘everybody wanting to be with him’ on social media.
Let’s just hope that somebody over there still has some sort of sense left and eventually will stop this sorry excuse for a man.
So needy he stops at nothing to get attention and be counted ‘powerful’ and rich, when you look at his history (Link to PBS broadcasting company’s site, FRONTLINE series of documentaries; this one award-winning).
Special effects used as a front – lighting and stage decoration used to intimidate or frighten people… (Image licensed via Adobe CC)
To start a conflict, manipulate people into it by threatening them in multiple ways; to position oneself as a representative of an interest group, a lobby; then in the limelight apparently get people back together again for peace talks and eventual – and so sudden … – peace or at least truce…
What do you call that?
‘Smart’, because the person reaches their goal of appearing to be the hero of the hour?
‘Business-like’, because using money as a weapon they appear influential and the ‘wise guy’ … of the day?
Or ‘Cruel’, because many lives are lost in the process, hostages kept for years in fear and captivity, marred for life while others suffer intense pains of loss and worry?
I am happy and very relieved that so many are now apparently released from captivity as hostages! For themselves and for their families, their near and dear!
But they might not have been to be in that place at all, in the first place – used by a president-to-be and yet another ally in Israel, Netanyahu, who had to fear using his ‘job’ – and thus started to get beligerent. Follow the history on channels and newspapers to trust. It was rather obvious.
And war one way or another throughout history has been known to be a welcome and often-used method to distract attention from internal affairs and issues – of a king, or a dictator, or a president…
The result, and the tragic and cruel truth can seem unbearable: It’s once again about power and money. Ultimately. People are just so much cannon fodder, once again.
And we can expect ‘more of the same’, in the coming months, if not years.
Eagle – or Vulture? (Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons by Thermos)
I wonder if we would perhaps rather laugh than weep: Trump, true to form, spreads chaos, misinformation, and the simple self-centered accusations against all and sundry he is so well known for.
Well, himself as well as his latest ‘aide’ turned-suddenly-Republican (G.O.P: Not so grand after all…) Elon Musk are a pair if ever there was one: using money in bucketloads to draw any kind of attention to themselves.
That Musk has rather suddenly changed his tune a few years ago is quite explicable and not the least bit surprising, if you know that some of the latest Tesla-models face severe technical faults and even a failure of his whole company is around the corner because he would have to return millions of government funds (yes, taxpayers’ money!) – if he cannot find government officials that rule in his favour and keep things just ‘floating’ his way…
Let’s all of sound mind and responsible ideas keep our voices heard, loud and clear! This is no way to go, Mr Trump and Mr Musk!
Note:
The other day Mr Trump has made clear he wants to be seen as ‘deal maker’. Turning back to his oldest profession, the financier, businessman… ‒ who’s caused bankruptcy to thousands of his stakeholders in order to save his own ‘hide’ ‒ so, he would use anything to close a deal.
Deals usually are closed any old way: Using threats is one of them.
Get the other party to believe in your decisiveness, your preparedness to go to extremes.
In other words: Blackmail.
Surprising? Not really. Awareness is key: We just won’t stoop or succumb anywhere to such base methods.
You can easily feel discouraged looking at news these days: People in New Orleans suffer from an attack, numerous people die. The Ukraine-war raging on. The Gaza strip and Israel and Palestine conflicts going on into the 7th decade…
‘What’s going on with people in this world?’, you could ask.
Let’s remember two very important truths:
News are about some aspects of life – but news are not LIFE!
News are often rather sensational, they focus on the dramatic, the ‘scoop’ – because that’s what newspapers and channels live by: Drama sells. (Just as sex does, by the way.)
Courage comes from hope and thus let’s remember:
An African proverb is supposed to run like this:
“If many little people in many little places all around the world do many little things every day, they can change the face of the earth.”
Keep at it – and remember the breaks too!
Know that we are strong, together!
A happy, peaceful and friendly new year to all, with friends and relations – ‘near and dear’ – full of hope and courage!
A father went for a walk with his son one day. He took the son by the hand because the son was little and he wanted him to be safe. A little while later they came to a small parapet beside the road. The son asked his father to help him get up in order to start walking along the small parapet’s top. The father helped him up and held his hand. Then his son asked him to let go of his hand so he could walk on his own.
“Well, be careful, so you don’t trip and fall and get hurt.” the father said.
The son pressed his lips together and started out, the whole time trying to focus on “not-falling”. Just a few minutes later he tripped – and fell.
His father helped him up, dried his tears and said: “Well, see, you are too small yet.”
Why this story?
It shows what happens if you warn people of the thing they are to avoid: The image in the mind especially in younger, not yet grown-up people is being created by using those words… “don’t fall” – thus an image of falling is created in the mind.
It’s been proven that such warnings can hurt us even more: They imply that we need to be taken care of; are not fit to do things.
In the case of children they need protection, of course.
What the father could have done though, would have been much more helpful, by telling his son what to do, like this:
“Ok, here goes. Choose your steps carefully, set one foot in front of the other… take your time. Focus on that wall.” And as a father of a small child, be there right beside him to make a possible fall less hard.
This is meant to show why trust and confidence are crucial and how they can help us to support others:
When the ‘chips are down’, ‘when the fat is in the fire’, when things become difficult or even dreadful, one thing is true:
You need trust and confidence most in order to overcome the troubled waters.
You need perhaps help in case you were learning still.
But after that you need the positive outlook.
Should you trip and fall, a friendly hand to get up again – and after a little rest – try again.
Actually, human beings learn walking that way!
When we face difficult situations it is certain that any warnings or lengthy discussions of mistakes being made can make it even more difficult.
It is another thing when we find ways out of the possible issues.
Sometimes, to stay in the picture, a parapet might be covered with small stones and gravel. So we would point out how to deal with that.
Sometimes we would face a completely different parapet from those we encountered before. And we might try – as a team or group – to figure out good ways to walk it.
But just warning people implies they might not have strength or abilities enough to do the right thing in a given situation.
Here also tolerance can come in: Tolerating that other people may act or react differently from ourselves is not a reason for mistrust.
It should just be a reminder that there are “many roads that lead to Rome”.
Where there’s light there’s darkness… When people from childhood onward learn only about following the rules that are handed down to them, even if on a silver platter; that not pertaining to the rules is followed by severe punishment; and that questioning the rules actually is out of the question…they would necessarily feel tempted to break those rules.
In other words: When as a grown-up one still does not feel to be the master of one’s life and the decisions in it; when you haven’t learned to think for yourself, look at consequences and ask about good or bad, why and for whom – you will look with awe at those who do. With some admiration perhaps.
And eventually people will either start following an apparently strong “leader” – or they will feel urged to break all the rules ever imposed upon them – and become what Schiller in his epic poem “The Bell” called “mankind in its fury” (“…der Mensch in seinem Wahn.”).
To become a truly responsible and self-confident civilian, a member of a democracy, to my mind the awareness of self-management, of being in charge of one’s life and taking responsibility for one’s actions, is crucial.
Otherwise people will repeat those patterns – and we will see hate and lack of self-esteem erupting into fights and killing, over and over again.
The historical examples are all there – one way or another, all over the place. Let’s all keep our fingers crossed and our heads clear – and our calm in the face of adversity: Putin and Trump are and have been for years:
Best buddies.
In a little over a month now Trump is going to take office. He’s prepared his way to dictatorship.
Once they unite all the countries still free will have to make an effort to stay free.
Why? He wouldn’t start war on half the world?
No, it would be even easier. Plain blackmail could do it, from both sides.
Gas from Russia, high taxes on goods, trade and military support denials as well as harsh negotiating on the side of the US.
You name it.
Be prepared! We need freedom of thought and opinion and press (!) as well as political or private calling.
What’s free in that sense?
Freedom of opinion, press, thought and way of life. The human rights.
Because even now the first signs are there on the horizon that traditionally free and independent media are wondering; starting to ‘count their words’, mind their ‘ps’ and ‘qs’, as it were.
There’s a documentary about that too: From 2017, when the president-elect in the US took office for the first time.
He was adverse and fighting the press whenever they reported the truth, no matter what, about him. Calling it fake news and condemning them. The Supreme Court Justices are made up of a majority of justices that stem from his followers, his ‘ranks’.
Only recently the charges against him were dropped on account of him being in office for the time when illegal Russian influence with his knowledge and consent veered votes towards him in 2017.
Free?
All those with huge amounts of money are more or less behind him. Which accounts for a constant, ongoing press campaign.
And anyone a little knowledgeable about the way of marketing knows that anything goes – as long as it is published. The juicier, the more impact.
This movie is considered one of the best-loved movies ever to come out of Hollywood. Frank Capra has a gift to focus on the essentials in life and make them visible – with emotion and brains. The forces of all those that don’t care a penny for other people – or their lives, who do anything to win – and be rich – are there. They seem to always have been in the history of mankind – and will continue to do so. Only the counterpoise of the wary good makes this world a place with smiles and love every day.
The modern society – perhaps even generated in the US with the idea that everybody is responsible for their own luck and ultimate ‘success’ – has created an image of life that is difficult to overcome.
Some fairy tales of old times seem to state it just like it:
Heroes overcome obstacles, tackle the bad guys – and ultimately win the cup, the jewels – and the princess.
These days it may come in more toned down colours, in a manner of speaking.
But everyday life is full of the little wonderful things, if you care to look closely…
Let’s make it a point: Be a counterpoise, each in their place, to the best of our ability. An African proverb is said to go like this:
If many ‘little’ people in many ‘little’ places do many ‘little’ things every day – they can change the face of the Earth.
The times have been dark indeed before. Dark in the sense of tragic and dreadful actions ahead. Not because people were unable to differentiate good from bad. Is it really alright to do anything just for money? Kill, destroy, and then occupy and build with what you have to sell?
Earning money this way: When a country is destroyed completely you have a 100% growth rate in a few decades to come.
And one or the other of those recently appointed to ‘leadership’ in the US may reckon they wouldn’t care too much, since they probably won’t live that long anyway…
Just yesterday a court of law ruled that the legal action against Mr. Trump, president-elect, be dropped for the time being. Since it is about the election 2020 and the proven manipulation of results, this could be the end of it because the statute of limitations might be reached by the time Trump leaves office again.
If he does at all…
The increasing postings online of frightened and worrying ‘brains’ (intelligentsia: people who are well-educated and use their knowledge productively) in the USA thinking of actually leaving a country that has been almost the epitome of freedom of thought and opinion for generations, proves dark times, indeed.
So many signs are there to promise that he will try and become another dictator, similar to Putin’s way to power in Russia… We may not be let go this time anymore.
‘We’, because the power balances in place since World War II let anything the USA and their foreign policies start, have a forceful impact on Europe – and indeed the world.
I still believe that we need to take a closer look at what is gong on at the moment, in politics and especially media:
Be careful to see the signs and stop war-mongering. Stop propaganda. It’s completely unnecessary!
Because, no woman, mother, father, child, brother or uncle deserves to be killed just because a few companies will profit by selling weapons and supplies – and the ones in power are too lazy to do their job properly, keep peace, negotiate – and find better ways of work than weapon factories.
Map of NATO members taken from NATO website at 23-11-2024_16-55-31, UTC+1
The other day I was looking up a job offer and checking out the website of a company that is not only into technology – but also into war-relevant products. They actually stated in so many words that the present world politics were beneficial to their business – and that they expected their revenue to rise accordingly.
Do we really need any more proof? Isn’t history full of the news that came later – sometimes 30 years or more later – to inform the general public of what was classified information at the time?
That weapons and military and their supplies are part of the machinery… war.
Let’s remember that still we as the population, the voices of each of the peoples of the world are the ones who can do it as a whole:
Let them know that we do not want to be turned into cannon fodder.
The map above is the one of the current member states of NATO, taken at the time of writing this article; the date given also above, including the original URL and time of today, the 23rd of November 2024.
When you look at it you may understand better what it might feel like to live in one of the white spaces; especially lands to the east of Europe. Why I mention it? Because negotiating becomes so much easier if you know how the people facing you feel.
I am a German born and bred who was married to a Persian for more than a decade. I learned about humanism and enlightenment when I was still a girl.
My parents were careful to impress upon us all through childhood and adolescence to look closely and let our judgement not be clouded by advertisements – or propaganda. And what is propaganda other than a sort of advertisement?
The human rights declaration and the Buddhist concept “Avoid pain” are the basis I argue from.
Look into history and learn: War never ever was a necessity or a heroic deed or a defense of a religion: It always was the failure of politics to be patient and continue negotiating until a proper agreement with all concerned was reached. It was part of the system of greed that stampedes over everything – including bodies.
Such negotiations can take years, decades even.
But if you look into history again, you will find numerous examples – the European Thirty Years’ War not the least of all – that confirm this view.
The Thirty Years’ War raged in Europe for exactly 30 years. More than half of the population of all Europe was killed, whole regions laid bare of any people, laid waste for decades. The destruction was tragic.
Even more cruel and dreadful were the crimes committed in the period: Rape, plunder and murder all through the lands, and recorded carefully too made it something that was part of the common memory of the European survivors for ages.
Again: War is politics, war is business, war is no necessity, and no heroic march either. War kills people, and cruelly.
