Turns
out the Mayans were wrong. Maybe they
did just run out of space on their stone calendar, or maybe we were just
reading it upside down, as various cartoons circulating on the internet
suggest. The world is still here. 2012 is wrapping up and 2013 is right around
the corner.
Last
night Steph and I went to see Ben Affleck’s movie Argo. It’s a great
film. I’m not usually partial to
espionage thrillers, preferring happy escapism to edge-of-my-seat drama, but
this was one that I enjoyed. The witty one-liners offered up by the Hollywood
characters played by Alan Arkin and John Goodman help break up the
tension. My favorite line was delivered
by the CIA higher-up portrayed by Bryan Cranston. When Affleck’s character is about to enter a
meeting with Secretary
of State Cyrus Vance and an adviser, Cranston warns that it’ll be “like talking to those two old fucks from
The Muppets.” Which of course
reminds me of another internet meme doing the rounds on the subject of the
Mayan prediction of the end of the world.
Booo!
Yet, what
kind of world have we created at the end of 2012? It has not been easy by any stretch. I know
far too many people who have lost loved ones this year. Many unexpectedly or too early. Too many others who have been diagnosed with
scary illnesses.
There
have been too many headline-grabbing violent crimes, too close to home. Sandy
Hook Elementary, Newtown and Batman:
The Dark Knight Rises, Aurora are names that will live in infamy following
2012. Devastating natural disasters,
made undeniably worse by man’s ineptitude, left so many destitute; western
wildfires, particularly the Waldo Canyon and High Park fires here in Colorado
and Hurricane Sandy on the east coast; overseas, horrific violence claimed the
lives of too many innocents in Egypt, Libya, Syria and across the globe.
In
Washington, ridiculous politics and ridiculous money fueled an election that
everyone was glad to put behind us. And yet, really, what has changed as
obstinate party leaders on both sides refuse to come to an agreement and are
about to launch the country off the so-called fiscal cliff and back into recession,
preferring to stick to their own hard-headed principles than do what’s best for
the rest of us?
Has
2012 truly been any worse than any other year?
In some
ways, yes. In some ways, no.
If the 26
victims, 20 of them young children, who were murdered in Newtown, Connecticut
just two weeks ago lead this country to tackle the massive problems caused by negligent
gun laws and disregard for the mentally ill, that will be a step forward. If a newly re-elected and invigorated
president can persuade a congress to do what’s best for the common man, instead
of big-money corporations, that will be a step in the right direction. If the will of the people can overcome the
self-centeredness of the NRA or other special interest groups, we will move
forward as a nation.
Will the
devastating events at the end of 2012 finally cause us to wake up and face the
hard questions? Or will things have to still get worse before they get better?
What is
our break point?
The true
story told in Argo is one of
incredible individual risk-taking and massive inter-governmental
cooperation. A CIA agent risks his own
life and flies into revolutionary Iran in order to rescue six American
diplomats who are stranded in the home of the Canadian Ambassador’s house in
Tehran. It is only through unprecedented
collaboration between the White House, the CIA, the U.S. State Department and
the government of Canada that he can possibly succeed. And it is only because of his incredible
bravery and putting his own neck on the line that he does succeed.
This is
what it will take for us all to succeed in 2013. Courageous individuals who take a stand and
get the full backing of the power of the people. Leaders who are willing to put their own necks
on the line and say enough is enough.
Common people who will make their voices heard in such numbers that we
cannot be ignored. Common sense over
self-centeredness. The will of the people over the will of the few.
The
Mayans have given us a second chance. In
the words of Five for Fighting’s World:
“What
kind of world do you want?
Think
anything.
Let's
start at the start.
Build
a masterpiece.
Be
careful what you wish for,
History
starts now….”
It
is time to set aside happy escapism and to get real. It’s time to build a masterpiece. Sign me up.
4 comments:
always apt.
I’m all in Steve but sometimes it feels lonely here.
Well put, sir. Well put.
Great post, I couldn't agree more.
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