You are absolutely right. Few of us have the courage to stand up against those who would cut our legs from under us.

Ron

Well, we have the Creationist prosleytizers and political analysts working hard to interfere with teaching the evolutionary biology in public schools. These kind take alarm at and find it unacceptable, the thought that human descent from earlier primates contradicts a strict reading of the Book of Genesis. These same kind plug the tv into a wall socket, measure a year by the Earth's orbit, and live their lives based on trusted reality of that theory. Many of them have never taken a biology course that dealt with Evolution nor read a book in which the theory of Evolution is lucidly explained. The world has antievolutionists. The main sources of information from which most Americans draw their awareness are haphazard at best, cultural osmosis, false-reporting media, newspaper, magazine, and television, half-baked references of nature documentaries on the tube, and hearsay. Evolution is a beautiful concept and an important one, more crucial nowadays to human welfare, to medical science, and to our understanding of the world than ever before. It's also deeply persuasive---a theory you can't take to the bank---why no one invests a belief in because there's no money in it like there is organized religion. When humans move toward expanding and opening up their minds, then perhaps we will be motivated to unite.

Sage

Dead-ON !! Ever been so, and. . .always will? So maddening.
Frustrating!! But maybe if writers of talent such as yourself keep
beating the drum, a few Powers that Be will feel compelled to share more. Maybe ease up on the. . .we'll see. T h a n k y o u,
robert Jude. T h a n k y o u !! 'Pea' <3

So true! Great right Jude!

Sandie May Angel a.k.a. Sandie Angel :o)

Trurer words were never spoken I believe is the saying I am looking for to describe this perfect statement that a lot osfus feel....
Felix

You are right on, Jude! Thank you. Love and peace to you,

Regis

Sometimes its appropriate just to do our very best to make a vital difference to this Dark World, and then rest easy in the knowledge that the Higher Power is at work in every facet of our lives...
And if life is just a dream, then we have nothing to be concerned about about really...:)
Intriguing and thought provoking write, Robert
Peter

Mine. Mine. Mine. Stew vs. the melting pot concept. Most people can't hear the word "universal" without thinking that their part of the soup will be melted away into the liquid, no chunk of them left, and even when they can imagine it, they stare at the stew and start picking out the parts they don't like. This picking apart rarely has anything to do with what's best for the common good of all. It's a ritual that goes more like, "Take out the peas. I don't like peas. I'm a lacto-vegetarian, please remove the chunks of beef." Thus begins the squawking, "NO UNIVERSAL FOR ME THANKS." I know I sound like a broken record here but, "Man is all about ego." Man being humanity here always assumes his way is the best way and the other guy over there couldn't possibly have it better, and so we hoard. We hoard ideas, resources, land, people, and money. Greed is the symptom of a sick ego. And most of us suffer this disease. ;-)

Okay, that was my doom and gloom message. My happy message is "Great poem, Jude. Keep wishing and hoping. Maybe we will get it all together. I sure hope with you that we do. See you next week at the homeless shelter to give up all my worldly goods."

Exceptional write, Jude!
love and peace, Carole

We take the easy way out which is complaining and whining about our fate, instead of taking the responsibility upon ourselves for the life we wish to live. It is always easier to point fingers at the failure of others than it is to risk trying and failing ourselves. The injustice to humanity comes in the not trying, not in the failure. This is an excellent poem with a punch to the gut of all of us who see only problems and propose no viable solutions.
Take care,
Sherry

You cut deep into the core of a tragic truth in these lines and offer a much-needed elevated perspective on the human condition of political, cultural, and spiritual shortsightedness. Much gratitude.
Aberjhani

And we all know the answer to our planetary havoc

It is the greed, power and wealth of a few



It surely is, and even sadder, as you so succinctly point out:



we’ll just continue living our lives

And hope for the best



We truly are a very sad lot.

Exceptional write Jude!!

Hope you are feeling better....was it flu??

Love Tinka

Jerrry, the concept of universal patriotism is humanity collectively coming together, trying to overcome its differerences and pursue a world of peace ... it doesn't suggest one should forfeit or sacrifice his own national pride, heritage of surrender the rights of one's homeland ... the crux of the poem is to demonstrate how most of our planet's hostilities are based on power, greed and wealth controlled by just a few ... did you know that 256 people have the equivalent wealth of 3.5 billion people? what sense of "patriotism" do you think those are really concerned about? the "patriotism" of power and greed? there are some super-wealthy who are philanthropists and altruists but not many ... one definition of a patriot is "a member of a resistance group" ... all open- minded people should resist that which actively controls the course of our planet ... if not, the future looks bleak ... in reality, it may take hundreds of years before universal patriots will overcome the controlling forces of destruction, if at all ...

Universal patriotism? I don't think I'll go there.

Society is greedy, and it's not just our society that's geared toward the glitz and glamour of war. In this world today, there are so many different facets of war, that one couldn't keep up with them all if they tried. It's the almighty buck that is fought for and over, across every boardroom table, and every family dining table around the globe. We are spoiled to the point of turning ourselves off, when it comes to funding. We are fine with it, until we think it's going to take a dime from our own pockets, when that happens, suddenly all our 'patriotism' goes out the window, and we are back to trying to figure out how to keep the dollar in our pockets. I've no doubt in my mind, that on any given day, for the right amount of money, we'd put our souls on the auction block, and our country to go with it.
War is expensive, whether it's on the battlefield or in the boardroom...and society, could care less, unless, they are asked to fund it.
Good writing Robert.

Lisa

This is exceptional, Jude. Knowing all of this burns me up. I feel helpless on a large scale, but I do what I can for a few. Insurance companies are horrible Poor people who can't afford insurance are treated worse than animals. Thanks for this essay of truth.

Powerful and honest indictment of the global society. You have a superb way of clarifying subjects like this so the readers can take part, so maybe you should be the leader for the revolt;-)
Sadly,to quote you, people say "Nah, and hope for the best," for many reasons. Some are afraid of change. Others are satisfied with what they have. There is complacency. Then there are many like myself, who write letters ,sign petitions, make calls to the congress, write articles and poems, and never see any change.It is clear that the diversification in our society is much stronger than we realize and I truly don't know when or how it will ever be corrected. There is no true spirit for unification in today's world , no matter where you look it is a world of separation. Governments get together only for monetary benefits but they mostly strongly dislike each other . So I think Ed Matlack may have a point! It seems to be what people have decided, to have a life for themselves and forget the world, and in a way, who can blame them. We can always hope and pray, but the odds of real change in our lifetime seems pretty bleak!
Eileen

People get really pissed when you try to change that line of thinking, you rebel you! :-) Wouldn't the leaders of our countries be quite surprised if we stood together and made changes for the best! .........ah I can dream can't I? I was told I was a communist (sp...sorry mind is not working to well) when I attempted to get people to work together to end the high gas prices! LOL

So true! As a whole we've been numbed by mass anesthesia via the agents which keep the money in wealthy pockets and restricted by laws whose agenda is the same goal. As writers and artists this is where we can make a difference, but little by little our rights are being squashed in this arena as well, as independent newspapers and radio are being bought up or squeezed out by conglomerates and the web is becoming more controlled. Dynamite write!

Lin

Most people live for themselves, trying not to worry about what goes on around them...may not be right, but at least its life...Ed

so timely for me. just watched the movie "Hotel Rwanda" and have been apalled at the level of dis-engagement with real issues that affect real people by those who choose to live behind iron gates, not only literally but metaphorically. and I know I have shrugged my shoulders and just kept walking far too many times. particularly fond of your "inside the famine of our human character" line. wonderful work. Dawn

You described APATHY much better than any dictionary.
Excptional you are Robert Jude Ace.
Susan