When Will We Ever Learn?

When Thomas Paine wrote “These are the times that try men’s souls” we can only imagine the type of quote he would convey today considering all the events that are concurring through-out the world. The rising tide of cynicism of a political system that is ripe with collusion amidst corruption has further pushed the US down into the abyss of irrelevancy.  Sure, we have one of the most powerful military forces in the world and yet government officials keep pushing the envelope that has kept the world a powder keg of raw defiance of what the US continues to do.

It was almost a decade ago that the United States had an opportunity to bring forth a new day in American history only to have that shining light dimed by the still existing power structure hell bent on keeping the status-quo. This status-quo has only deepened Americas dive down into mediocrity. Could it be too late the hero? We all know of fairy tales where the Knight in shining armor comes riding in to save the day. And, yet if our future lies with the status-quo of a stagnate partisan political process there really isn’t a brighter future at all. We are left wondering of what could have been.

Today’s realities have shown no apparent resolve to initiate the changes needed to pull the US out of irrelevancy and mediocrity. As the world is tumbling toward a conclusion of immense suffering that can and must be avoided but only if? This if only as quinquennial and pondering as it is remains elusive until we the public realize just how far we have fallen from united we stand to divided as we are to fall.

The rising tempests of our world are a testament to the failures to understand the repercussions of our actions either domestically or internationally. We have allowed history to repeat bringing with it a torment of continuing dire realities. The symbolic reactionary responses we continue to make has brought with it a host of other potential catastrophic consequences. When will we ever learn?

Much can be said about the music of the late 50′s and early 60′s when the Kingston Trio ushered in one of their most pointe songs “Where have all the flowers gone” the lyrics point a very accurate picture of the travesties of sending men in harm’s way. And yet we have and continue to do it. When will we ever learn?