STILL BOUND IN CHAINS

 



STILL BOUND IN CHAINS

Harry Bissoon 


Are we a complacent species? Maybe not! Our historical development belies that thought. We have progressed to where we are today by being disruptive, violent and rebellious, forged in fire, as it were. Is it not? But we do get complacent when we reach certain benchmarks, and accept policies and norms that are cast in molds that we are accustomed to. Any change from 'normality' can be emotionally chaotic!


The Roman conquests and its eventual defeat, the French revolution, the Prussian war, World Wars 1 and 2, the Mexican American War, the American Civil War, the disastrous Vietnamese imbroglio, and the Bolivarian struggles in South America, are just a sampling of the crucible of fire that has molded us into what we are today


Notwithstanding, we still struggle to cling on to what we have. Our innate tendency to foment change.  is an attribute that we cannot seem to dislodge, and, therein lies our bondage.


Nevertheless, we are still caught up in a tsunamic wave that threatens, and has already started to tear asunder our social, economic, political, and technological way of life.  I, like some others, still experience a feeling of satisfaction,contentment, and nostalgia when we do simple things, like going to the post office to mail a letter and to converse with the people who stand in line. I still feel immense joy when I meet with a circle of friends, face to face, to bond in soul and spirit, and camaraderie. 


In the midst of all of this I still embrace the joy of fruitful labor which is the building block of society, and I yearn and aspire for the democratic right to make a difference, in spite of the ever present, evolving changes that revolve around me.


Our values, norms, and mores have changed dramatically, leaving us in a state of flux, oftentimes not knowing what to cling on to, and what to reject.


In response, our leaders stand on pedestals stipulating and mandating ways and means that they think will make our journey an easy one, as if we are in an animal farm, or, even worse, cooped up in a pen, waiting on the butcher for the impending slaughter. 


 Many of us still like to confirm and to be cooped up.

However, conformity has its limits. Our nation states have grown accustomed to accepting people of the same mold, who they think should be our leaders, and any attempt to make changes is met with orchestrated attacks. We need to break loose of this malaise and give new leaders, who have new methods and means, to break the conundrum in which we are caught, and release us from our chains, with which we are bound.


Confirm or not, conservative or liberal, we will break at our seams, and spill over into the chaotic madness of the  never ending struggles to keep us locked up, roaming in the confined spaces of our farm, to be engaged all over again in conservatism, liberalism,, and an endless dialog of the pros and cons of our existence.

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