Take Down That Flag?

Simply removing the Confederate flag without ameliorating the deep seated passion (a.k.a. hatred) embraced by some would be little more than placing a bandage on a gaping wound.
I have pondered long & hard over not only this recent tragedy but also on the overall race situation in our Country. The feelings it evokes in me are akin to those I experienced after 9/11. Deepak Chopra, a Harvard educated physician, wrote an editorial in the NY Times noting the education of children around the world is a better answer to combat terrorism than war.
In the heat of that moment, as the WTC ruins were still smoldering and almost 3,000 funerals were being planned, I was incensed at this pulled-punch solution to an attack on our soil. How could he take this position? But in retrospect, I realize he was correct. More immediate measures were also needed but the good doctor's idea was valid. Change the heart, change the person. Such a simple concept; such a difficult challenge.
If we don't change, if we continue to let the tentacles of hatred, bigotry and bias choke love and understanding, compassion and love out of our lives, any well meant physical manifestations aimed at stemming prejudice are mere window dressing on a house with no roof.
I am only one voice, but I will be silent no more .As Mohammed Ali once said, "It's the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen."
Go, in peace, and be part of the solution, not the problem.

Experiential Data

My eyes I think is going crazy
All round me things is hazy
And me ears they's just ain't too good
Cause I sure can't hear like I should
The nose I used for snortin' & smellin'
Is now as big as a ripe ol' mellon
Me gnarly fingers once straight n true
Have colored tips of greenish blue
In me mouth I chews and eats
Cheese & bread, but not much meats
But me days are filled with wonder 'n awe
I read Poe, and Austen, King & Shaw
So pity not; walk on - don't stop
I's on me way to a pizza shop.

Large or Small?

I've given thought to posts dissing thin women, the ones absent significant body fat. IMHO, it seems as some people watch their curves, bellies and various other body parts sag and succumb to the Earth's insidious gravitational pull they want to change the paradigm of what was once considered beautiful. To this end, the former shapely, alluring woman has been re-characterized into a gaunt, starving waif who has managed to instill her nefarious, famished visage on the psyches of girls, condemning them to a life of carrots, celery and lettuce. Pondering over this near cataclysmic event of unparalleled proportions, I had an epiphany. Society is seeing the fruition of the sour grapes syndrome - adopting a negative attitude to something because they cannot have it themselves.
I recently saw a picture of a what is classified as the now acceptable full-figured woman next to a bikini-clad counterpart. While the former stretched the fabric of her suit, the latter, until only recently the de rigeuer standard for emulation, posed sans any appreciable adipose tissue deposits. Arrows on the bottom labelled each lady noting "I'd rather look like this" (pointing to the significantly larger woman) "than this" (tagging the waif).Expanding this logic, two corollary statements espousing a similar sentiment would be:1) gray, lifeless, dry hair is more attractive than a shiny, lustrous mane2) dry, flaky, age-spot laden skin is more attractive than a smooth, tanned, delicate dermisPersonally, I no longer play hockey, run down flies in the outfield or am relied on to take & sink the last shot in a basketball game. My hair is graying & I don't weigh what I did in school. But I don't claim that my experience now would let me stand toe-to-toe with a Gretsky, Mantle or Jordan. Sometimes, we simply need to acknowledge we're out of the race and stop the rationalization process.Is there a solution? Perhaps removing mirrors in our homes, not looking at celebrities and wearing potato sacks in public would alleviate what can be considered, at a gut level, simple jealousy.