Now, back to the 60s. It's 1966 and I'm watching a music show before going to school, in the morning. A band known as Buffalo Springfield is on, singing a song titled "For What it's Worth". I don't have a clue what it's about, but I like the way it sounds (the melody and the rhythm). Fast forward about five or six years and Stephen Stills is now with Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. They've put out a great live album, titled Four Way Street and again the song, "For What it's Worth" shows up (Stills was a member of Buffalo Springfield). Now I get it, fully. One of the verses was as follows:
Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It always starts when when you're always afraid
Step outa line, the man come and take you away
I also want to note that Stills said, while leading into the song (and I'm paraphrasing from memory) 'and if you can't do it with love in your heart, then ya ain't got no right to do it all' (talking about protest).
Now we're in the present. A generation that lived through the protests of the 60s and early 70s and subsequent generations that will play a large role in making sure that America remains "The land of the free and The home of the brave". It may very well take a considerable amount of bravery to keep our land free. So what brings me to being concerned about 'paranoia' and being 'proactive'?
My longest standing friend, that I have known for 52 years, grounded me over the New Year's weekend, and I really needed and appreciated it. I was worried that he was becoming displeased with me due to this blog and my daily emails with the post title and the link. I had also emailed him with a request for a favor. I hadn't heard back from him for a few days and became anxious. When I did hear from him, I emailed back that I was concerned that he was "pissed" at me. Only a true friend would tell me what he did. He told me to "dial back the paranoia". It was like a friend telling you your fly is open or you have spinach in your teeth; only a truly close and caring friend is going to tell you. I had let my anxiety, over the up coming administration, spill over into other areas of my life. In a sense I was becoming paranoid (not in a psychotic way :-)).
I examined my internal boundaries, and pledged to myself to recognize what were legitimate concerns as opposed to me being a little nuts. But that does not mean that I discount my feelings, my gut. To do so would mean losing my edge, my intuition about understanding the possibilities for the future. I believe the difference between paranoia and being proactive can be a fine line and difficult to identify.
As we enter this period in our country's history that requires our watchful eyes, dogged vigilance and strong loud voices, it is very important that we all keep our heads, keep our cool, stay chill. BUT, do not become complacent. Complacency will open the door for trump and his idiots to consolidate power that does not belong to them. There is no doubt in my mind that they will attempt to assume powers that are clearly not theirs, as defined by our constitution. Stay alert, be proactive, write your representatives and protest. Most of all, do it with love in your heart.
I don't mean unconditional love for everything and everyone. For myself, I am acting with love for our country, for our freedom and for all Americans that are reasonable people. Each one of us will find our own path, our own motivations, but we need to keep our eye on the ball before it hits us in the head, not after it bounces off. Be proactive!
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