serpentine woes

In a recent post on our wonder | wander | women blog I was just bemoaning the roller coaster ride this September has been for us. We are only half done with the month and it's been incredible as well as exhausting.

Heracles and the Lernaean Hydra by Gustave Moreau

Last year I blogged here on Change Warrior about the double tragedy Filipino Americans mourn every 9/11. The challenges these beloved countries face bear down heavily on their citizens and the rest of the world.

Every time some ugly utterance drops out of our presidents vile mouths like venomous frogs, we all cringe and swear we could not possibly take any more.

As we watch in paralyzed horror another frog emerges. And yet another. And another. Ad nauseum. When will this end, we all wonder? God deliver us from it all!

The bigger problem is these men, however terrible their behavior, will not be around forever. Their presence in positions of power has caused us to thoroughly dissect how such unqualified specimens of humanity could have gotten this far.

Have we been so lulled in our cushion of creature comfort? How on earth did we attract such karma? Surely this road to hell was not built in a day? What now? Do we have what it takes to dismantle the damage?

My experience of both countries, the Philippines and the United States of America, although uniquely mine may also be shared by many others.

In the Philippines it is the huge messy dirty mega metropolises that we loathe to find ourselves in. The hassle and hustle that devalue being human. The crowding and filth it takes to feed the mechanization. The politics and corruption of big money, big companies, big government.

I feel safer out in the provinces than I do in Metro Manila.

In the US I find safety and acceptance in main hubs like New York City and San Francisco. The further away from these city limits I venture, the more careful I am about adjusting to local outlook and approach.

I feel much safe in the big metropolitan cities than I do out in the sticks.

Where folks are warmer and more hospitable out in the county back in the Philippines that is almost always the opposite over here in the US where strangers are not so welcome.

Has it always been this way? If not then what has brought this ugly change? Was it always there and we were all just blind to it? Why is it so aggravated now?

It is undoubtedly a sign of our times. When our leadership lacks authenticity and integrity it shakes all our foundations. No amount of superficial do overs can support a country at risk.

People need to make a stand and speak up. This is not a time to be quiet and invisible. Inconvenient and uncomfortable as it gets we all know wrong from right.

We need to ensure that this remains so for all of us. All the time. All over the world. Not just for the select few with the connections and power. Stand tall citizens of Earth!