Is it too much to ask for?

One thing I've noticed and I find this quite fascinating is the argument that worse things happened in the past.

This is certainly a twist to that 'in the good old days' line that old uncles and aunties, grand ma's and pa's use when taking a walk down memory lane reminiscing about times gone by to their grandchildren!

Perhaps I'm naive, I might be, but its my thinking that we should know better now than we did, that we learn by what we did, that knowing our history we avoid repeating the same mistakes.

But then, WWI was referred to as the War to End All Wars wasn't it, and yet a mere 21 yrs later the word was at it again...

In our recent past we've seen our nations resources squandered, our men and women slave away in the Middle East - which in turn has changed the social fabric of this country - a 30yr conflict, insurgency, people shot, maimed, blown up, kidnapped, tortured, families wiped out, driven insane... our economy has surged, slumped, sunk, queues for bread, for rice, for fuel, we've seen beggar's become kings, tri shaw drivers become Mayors, some have earned their wealth, others stole it, some did it legally, others did it somehow, we've seen Buddhist monks march in protest, amass wealth, sit in Parliament, been spat at, beaten, shot - not for their religious beliefs but for their political ones mind you - what have we not?

What do I think? I think we should know better by now, I think we should be able to look back at our past and say enough, we will not repeat the mistakes. Is there really no place for compassion and kindness and integrity and honesty in this day and age of ours? Are we not better people to know that just because someone else did this or that, it does not make it any righter for us to follow suit in retaliation?

That there were 'Cat's of varying hue in the past is no justification for the presence of White vans today, barb wire in pvc pipes, corpses strewn across the streets strung up against lamp posts, nothing not then not now not tomorrow can justify any of that!

What do we really want? To prosper, to see our children grow up in a land that offers them so much more than it did us... A house to live in to call my own, enough to feed, cloth , educate, shelter my children, to be able to walk from North to South, from East to West without fear, to know that this is our land and that I am protected by my government, the government that we elected to give us a better today and tomorrow, a government that protects me, my right to a better life, my right to express my views and thoughts freely.

Is this too much to ask for?

Perhaps this is a good time to quote par of Lincoln's Gettysburg address, for many have died in in this island nation of ours, in wars between kings, against foreign invaders, for independence, in uprising, in suppression, blood split, families destroyed...

...as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth

This is not about the color of one's political affiliation or sympathies, this is about what is right and what is wrong... might is not right if the cause is unjust, its still wrong to steal, now matter if you call it a facilitation fee, or grease or whatever, its wrong to abuse your power for personal gain, it is and I dont think anyone can say otherwise

Where would we be, honestly, where would we be if the people we elected actually conducted themselves in a fair and just manner, putting country ahead of personal wishes or gain?

Less beggar's for sure.... and perhaps not so many nobles