My Latest Article

Never Before In History

(Dedicated to Bob)

My favorite subject has always been history. Since I was a very small girl I preoccupied myself with ancient lands, ancient peoples.

Pharaohs, kings, queens, and czars. War, famine, medical sciences. The evolution of mankind is documented in many ways. And there are always two sides, at least, to every story. Kings and heroes rise and fall, only to rise again in others, who then fall away as well.

I have come to see it is all relevant. All of it is inter-connected, and woven into different directions. Nothing occurs in a vacuum. And not much on earth is 'new'. That is the funny thing about history, once you can connect it to all other histories you start seeing very obvious patterns, that repeat every few generations or so.

Only few things are anomalies in these loops and weaves of time. I believe Hitler was an anomaly. For many reasons. Not the least of which involves a technical advancement called television. Understanding history on any meaningful level requires an emotional detachment of bias and belief. The winner writes history, the loser lives with it in whispers.

For whatever detachments I can attain, for all the facts I go back and check, for all my imagination of how it may all connect, what forces are at work, I can not for the life of me think of anything in history that is anything like the moment the United States citizens finds themselves in this new year.

Rome fell, yes, but they did not have over 12,000 nuclear weapons. The Soviet Union fell, that is true, but they did not have a leader who was so obviously bat-shit insane and bitter. Drunk, yes, INSANE...no.

The British Empire fell. Yup. My nation helped with that one too. But for whatever was at stake there, was not one inch in the mile we have come. It seems we have arrived at a fork that dead-ends and absolutely no one seems to be able to remember a parallel in history that could explain how these times can be settled. All of history is colliding in this one moment.

For the first time in history, all of the common peoples of all races and nations are in direct communication with one another

Never before in history have any people had to face a moment like this. Never before has so much depended on the actions of one single nation. When, literally, the entire fate of the world hangs in the balance. Where death greets us, from every path that is apparent. There is only one alternative.

It is time to turn to the poets, the idealists, and the dreamers.

It is time to listen to them, and follow them. It is time to protect them in our numbers and give their words at least as much respect as that we show to the words of liars, war mongers, and tyrants.

Only a vision will guide us through such an uncertain time. There is no other way to make it right. Neither force, nor pleading will restore anything. As we stare into oblivion, only poetry can comfort us and counter the slide into a chaos so deep, it would envelop the entire globe.

Never before in history, has a poet been so needed. Never before has dreams been so important.

A simple dream, of better days than these. There are those among us still brave enough to believe it is possible.

When you ask, 'What can I do for my nation..?' I will tell you the answer.

Never again be afraid to dream. It will save us all.

By Christy