EDGEWATER, Fla. -- As I write this on the eve of the 9/11 tragedy having just watched the national evening news showing hoardes of migrant in Europe fleeing toward a hopefully better life in another country with many dying in the effort, I am wondering where our humanity has gone. It seems to be missing. Has anyone seen it lately?
For a long time after 9/11 this country was united with flags flying from nearly every home and business. Each of us was remembering the efforts and bravery of the firemen and policemen who ran into the buildings as everyone else was running out. We all seemed to become better more caring people. Sadly it didn’t take long for all that to disintegrate.
Watching the news, seeing the people fleeing for their lives you have to think how awful things must be wherever they came from to take their children and just what they could carry and walk for sometimes months trying to find freedom and a peaceful place to start a new life. They filled boats to overflowing knowing they might not survive the trip but they were that desperate to do better for their children. And what did they find when they got there? Either a barbed wire fence trying to keep them out or a muddy tent camp not much better than what they left behind but still they smiled because no bombs were dropping on them, no gas trying to snuff their lives out. They still have hope. How I don’t know but they do still hope for better days ahead.
Much is being made about countries not wanting to take these refugees in because they could be Al Qaeda or ISIS followers who will turn around and do harm to the places they go. Makes me think of when Castro took over Cuba and floated all the prisoners to Florida. They were going to kill us all. Never happened but that is now all forgotten.
All this reminds me of an old song written by Sheldon Harnick in 1955 and sung by the Kingston Trio. As you read the words below you will see they are as relevant today as they were back then, maybe even more so. None of this unrest is new. It is just another part of a vicious cycle that is stuck going round and round and never stops. It seems likely to only end in two ways, neither of which are good. Below are the lyrics to the song titled The Merry Minuet.
They’re rioting in Africa,
They’re starving in Spain.
There’s hurricanes in Florida,
And Texas needs rain
The whole world is festering
With unhappy souls.
The French hate the Germans
The Germans hate the poles;
Italians hate Yugoslavs,
South African’s hate the Dutch,
And I don’t like anybody very much.
But we can be tranquil
And “thankfill” and proud,
For man’s been endowed
With a mushroom shaped cloud.
And we know for certain
That some lovely day
Someone will set the spark off,
And we will all be blown away!
They’re rioting in Africa,
There’s strife in Iran.
What nature doesn’t do to us
Will be done by our fellow man!