Posted 8 years ago
katherines…
(247 items)
So when I hear someone say we are returning to an "old fashioned America," I think of the America I grew up in, an America thriving on science and culture, progressive in its thinking, determined to defeat poverty and illness and racial prejudice. The first photo is a mid century modern ornament by Premier which like many ornaments of that time flaunted our excitement in pioneering Space Age technology.
When I hear someone insist on the words "Merry Christmas" with the gloating certitude of determined ideology, I remember my own Christian indoctrination, to be kind and loving and tolerant and compassionate and mindful and prayerful. The second photo is a vintage silver medallion embossed with a Muslim blessing.
When I hear someone declare that they feel "unbound," I know in my heart that they have no idea what it means to be bound, no quotation marks, that is, to have been and to be really bound. The third photo is a vintage key minder depicting a Jemima house servant.
When I hear someone shout with glee that they now feel "safe," I think of all the people I know who don't feel safe. I know of the brown shirted jack booted thugs who knock down fences, break down doors, in the middle of the night, dragging men out of their beds, screaming obscenities in front of crying women and terrified children. I've met women whose genitals have been grabbed and very young girls who have been raped by wealthy sociopathic men. I try and give thanks for the food we eat this Christmas, the table in the fourth photo, instead I am filled with sorrow that this may be the last Christmas we share together, I am filled with dread and terror, as we are dragged into a bottomless miasma of vile classless reality show culture and foreign catastrophic blunders and the certainty of nuclear war. I remember when I read McCormac's The Road and tried to figure out how it started, what the meaning of the lights were that the protagonist saw in the windows. I don't wonder anymore. We are living in the prequel. Look for the lights.
I need help identifying these items. They no longer make any sense.
A powerful post indeed.
We are kindred spirits, SpiritBear.
I too am living in a country facing an unknown future after a political campaign, that on one side, was no more than lies , damned lies and hatred. And that side won! Though it's little consolation to you, at least you will vote again in four years time.
As SpiritBear said, Powerful.
This is the world created by the human primate.
Those symbols relate to a time long past and have no real significance in the Now, other than to remind us of what was.
As long as people continue to exist the things you speak of will, in one form or another, also continue to exist.
If you enter into the New Year with Sorrow as your Guide, you will surely miss the Lights.
INCREDIBLE post Katherine!! SpiritBear said it best!
Scott
{{Katherine}}
Thank you for the love, my kind friends, SpiritBear, sklo42, Efesgirl, Caperkid, jscott0363, mikelv85, kyratango, brunswick, and aura.
sklo, I can understand why people are angry -- in this new age, we are breaking all the old paradigms and no one knows what lies ahead. They are afraid -- but instead of responding with courage and curiosity and compassion, they reach backwards to a past that never existed, or worse, to totalitarianism, an authority figure that will take care of them and solve all their problems, through brutality and coarseness. Crushing the human spirit is never ever the right way. Nations that have pursued this path never ever recover. America was the land of the free and the home of the brave. It breaks my heart, I am heartbroken, to see what has happened to that great promise. In that context, what I have posted here no longer makes sense.
Scott, it was a difficult decision to write this post. I have tried to keep CW as separate from other concerns as possible. I kept telling myself as collectors we love things in and of themselves. But recent events inform everything now. What was once a collectible is now a symbol for something else, as the things above demonstrate, and if those things no longer mean anything, then I have to say so, and why. I felt obligated to speak, as an American and a Christian, in sorrow, for what we have lost.
Pascale, thank you with all my heart. Those of us who understand what I mean must console and comfort each other and our loved ones, to give each other strength and determination, to be resolved, to fight, the forces of darkness, to be as your people once were, the Righteous Resistance. It is ironic beyond irony that America was the land to which the world once turned their eyes to fight against oppression and genocide. To be the nation that will lead the world into the next Dark Age doesn't bear thinking about.
Oh my friends, I am inconsolable!
As Peggy has said, and as we see world wide (here too), the times are changing everywhere. Western life has taken a path that many don't like, and they are reactionary.
Reactionists often don't see big pictures.
We can only hope that those who see totalitarianism and nationalism as answers are offset by many who see otherwise.
Despite the horror going on in the world today, try to keep the true spirit of the season in your header and mind. Peace on Earth and good will towards men and women of all races, colors, and creeds ... salaam, shalom, shanti, the peace which passeth all understanding :-) Bob
Heart and mind. Sorry typing on IPhone.
Wishing you a peaceful Christmas day Katherine. Thank you for this post!
Thanks for the love, my friends, vetraio50, racer4four, beyemvey, and ho2cultcha.
Karen, there are so many aspects to this nightmare, it shocks the mind. Just to pick out one aspect at random: if a small war ravaged bankrupt nation like Germany under the leadership of one frustrated little man could cause the worldwide devastation it did, undertake a Holocaust murdering millions, what do you imagine an insane demagogue put in charge of the world's most powerful military with the largest nuclear arsenal can do? Seriously doesn't bear thinking on. And yet the mind can barely turn away from the horror, the unknown horror, awaiting the world.
Bob, thank you, the spirit is sorely challenged.
Thanks for the love, my friends, courtenayantiques, and bijoucaillouvintage.
BCV, I wish I didn't have to write this post. Thank you for your kind wishes.
estimada Catalina, estoy escribiendo este comentario en español porque probablemtne en inglés no lo pueda escribir. Me has hecho poner la piel de gallina. Me has emocionado profundamente. Aunque no lo creas acá también se vive esa sensación y estoy de acuerdo contigo conque no hay que bajar los brazos o callarse, hay que seguir luchando o escribiendo. Un fuerte abrazo
Te agradezco mucho tus palabras, Kiv, y tambien a mi perdoname mi pobre espanol. Estamos en una situacion mundial profundamente triste and peligrosa. Yo pienso en este mundo tan bello, en mi pais que me llenaba de orgullo decirme Americana, y de dia a noche tirar todo lo que es precioso como si fuera basura. La democracia es un regalo, una idea, fragil, no la hemos sabido apreciar ni proteger. Si vieras como me deprime pensar en lo que hemos perdido! Pero tienes razon, no tenemos que dejarnos, no nos sentaremos, no nos quedamos callados, vamos a resistir. Con el favor de Dios, Si Se Puede!
Love the idea of this post.... Happy Holidays to you and yours, may the future find you healthy, wealthy and surrounded by loved ones.
Thanks for the love, kerry10456, and for your kind wishes, all good things to you and your family this holiday season and in the coming year. :)
Wish you and your 2017 is fill with, Peace, Love, Prosperity and love.
All the best.
Regards
Alan
Best wishes, dear Katherine, may this new year don't see your fears realised...
From the bottom of my heart, I wish you a happy, peaceful, quiet New Year, in health and wealth!
Thanks for the love, Alan, and your kind wishes, all the best to you and yours in the coming year. :)
Pascale, thank you so much for your kind words, and I too wish you all the best in the coming year, dear friend. :)
Thank you, Ellen, for your kind words. John Oliver is a great guy, but people didn't listen to him or the other candidate would have won. I'm afraid the world isn't constructed right anymore. Of course we will go on doing what we have been doing all along, compassion and kindness, that's in our DNA. :)