Hello Darkness, Our Old Friend

We've been to this place in time before; there is this stark reminder of things we already know. The restless winds blow the sounds of voices from our past shouting, "Hear our words that we might teach, again." Darkness falls upon humanity when important lessons are ignored; so here we go again. Fear dwells in this darkness, never more powerful than when we are reminded in every waking moment of chaos and despair that lurks at every turn in the road. Fear is a repressive tool, used against everyone willing to engage with it. From the poorest and most repressed to the powerful neon gods we have created, fear seeks a victim. And there are many willing to engage now.

Anger wears the mask of fear; no matter the conveyor presenting it. There is a roar of anger now that shouts a mighty war call across our planet. Tens of thousands of people are shouting, but no one is listening. The cause is lost in the chaos; people hear the sounds but are afraid to listen; because they dare not speak their own truth. Restless dreamers no longer walk alone; they are joined by throngs of angry people, frightened people. Though they march together there are varied causes; they each have a fear. What if things change, what if they never change? Some march because they are angry at something not even a part of the cause, but they need to express their anger and fear, so they join the march.

Global societies, from every culture, have been forced to confront a siege from a silent and stealthy virus that disrupted their own lives. It has taken the lives of many they may never have known but are forced to read about and grieve for because of the very circumstances they were lost to. That same enemy may be stalking them; their lives, livelihoods and lifestyles disappeared into a new kind of sound of silence. Everyone is afraid, justifiably angry.

A temporary darkness had befallen an entire planet, leaving almost no society untouched. No one was prepared, no one understood.

When the light finally began to penetrate the cracks of the darkness, a sudden and unforeseen event invited the opportunity for many, many to finally express their rage, their fear of what might lie ahead. The sounds of their rage split the night; had we forgotten that the growing silence we were all forced into would simply grow like a cancer untreated?

People need people; regardless of their differences. They need to communicate, to touch, to listen and to join in the game we call life. Without that interaction, something important begins to wither and die, much like a flower denied the sunshine it needs to thrive and become all it was created to be. The signs of restlessness are there, understandable yet troubling. Feeling helpless is never acceptable to anyone, certainly not to multitudes of people.

A new and better tomorrow arrives when we acknowledge the lessons from the past. Humanity demands that people must be able to express their fears honestly; that their voices are heard. This is true for everyone; it is a rare moment when almost every society at every level feels repressed and needs to speak about it. A silent attack has taken something important from almost everyone.

The shouting voices today spring not just from those who speak the loudest but from a multitude of people. The injustice of having life altered and changed so swiftly and with such certainty is felt by all. Some have found a cause they believe will be understood and taken to the streets. Others bow and pray. But everyone feels the sense of injustice in being the victim of an unseen enemy that arrived like a thief in the night.

Its aftermath has spawned the need to remember the history of humanity. We will prevail, we will rise up and begin anew; this too shall pass, thankfully. Those lessons of yesteryear are still written in stone. This kind of fear, expressed as anger, demands that we are given the opportunity to speak, to listen, really listen and join together to build better, stronger tomorrows for all. For he who ignores history is destined to repeat it.