PART ONE

             Today, if not in a verifiable realness, then at least in a satisfying imagination, I’ve come to a tolerable acknowledgement of the relevance of all that’s occurred in the past, is occurring in the present, and may yet happen. And no one I think knows what should be considered a worthwhile understanding; nor does anyone understand what, or how much knowledge should be considered worthwhile to possess. But when I look at the world I see today, I know then that much of Earth’s past, present and future is unknown to me. It’s hidden from me. And yet, I’m so aware that my basic ongoing struggle is to simply navigate through the moments of the present. And yes, I’ve lived through an enormously small portion of the past, and the future will be mine in a very small installment.

Not long ago, when our city’s mayor George Jennifer informed me that “One True City Of Sanctuary” would be the last in what’s come to be a rather long series of internet postings, he said he envisioned it to be a disclosure of three parts. But he also said that as time passed, some other postings might yet appear, should their publication be deemed necessary by what he termed his “superiors from other earthly realities.”

            Well, apparently before we’ve even been allowed to “sign off” (as some people say) here, such a necessity has arisen! “One True City Of Sanctuary” was to have been a three part discussion written by myself (Part One), Orlon Braem (Part Two) and F. John Surells (Part Three). But when the various parts were received by our mayor, he determined that John’s Part Three would render the entire piece too long for submission. Yet, since he liked all of John’s words, he decided that rather than edit them, he’d simply use them as a separate posting. And he then informed me to edit my previously written Part One, to include within it what I’ve just divulged. Thus, welcome to what I guess will be the second to last in what’s become a rather long, yet in my opinion, well timed series of internet postings. Oh, and the mayor wants to apologize for previously informing readers that this would be the last disclosure. He said to me “Funny how easily plans believed to have been cast in stone can sometimes be broken. Oh, and Rashon, please remember to inform the readers that we reserve the right to publish yet again – down the road – especially since no one yet knows what the upcoming presidential campaigns will foist upon the American public.”

So, anyway. I suppose it’s rather unfortunate that a series of writings is basically ending. But, I feel it’s important to remember that perhaps the greatest topic that’s always been stressed in this forum is that people, places, and things change as years and eras pass. And yet, despite the truth of that previous statement, I feel it’s imperative for mortals to hold fast to those “realities of life upon Planet Earth” which have proven themselves to be of the utmost necessity to mankind as a whole. And although it may seem arrogant, or overly patriotic to say this, I think the continuance of the superiority of the United States Of America amongst all other nations should be a hoped for development in the decades and even perhaps centuries to come. But why would one say that? Simply, because the U.S. has shown itself to be a great mitigator of worldwide problems.

            Still, as years have passed, the great American nation has become infiltrated by massive numbers of foreigners who, despite what anyone says, will never be able to keep the U.S. as the world’s leader should they ever become its dominant ethnic majority. Yes America, if you don’t stop illegal immigration soon, eventually The United States Of America will become a Hispanic nation, joining all those others to its’ south. And, as dreadful as it is to ponder, who’s to say that at such a time, bogus reparations may not be sought from what had previously been America’s majority ethnic group?

            So, to stop that development is the challenge that we here in “the city” now leave to you the populace of the states in America, as we ourselves fade from a written spotlight. But of course time will continue on here as it will elsewhere. Yet our dedication here, where the outside world impacts us minimally, will be to continue on in the great lifestyle of the individual.  

                                                            PART TWO

            When I was a child, I lived in fear of all that surrounded me. My life was stressful because those I shared it with didn’t fully understand the specialness of the city in which we lived. And I feared that the life form that continued to breathe within me then, was but a phantom of all it probably should have been. But after I’d grown to adulthood, one day I received a call from our city’s then mayor Ralph Hawk. He told me that besides being mayor of our city, he was also the leader of a group of what he termed “underground types” who had recently been establishing residence along the northern banks of the river which divides our city economically as well as geographically.

            And as you know, I accepted Ralph’s invitation to join the artful types by the river. But whether I was worthy to be counted among them, or whether my words were ever of any value to mankind, still isn’t known. Maybe someday some of what I’ve said, done and written will be found to contain some societal, spiritual, humanistic, or God only knows what sort of merit. Nonetheless, I guess that’s all I can hope for now, and from this day onward, all I’ll be able to live for. But I must not allow myself to find a scapegoat within the sorrow induced by pity.

            Oh, and self-pity is such a demon! Yet I wonder if people often fail to note its great strength and influence. And I also wonder if they sometimes designate the blame for wrongful actions to it. But yes, we do know some of self-pity’s manifestations. Along the roadways of life we spot it as a driver out of gas, stuck in a ditch, stymied by a flattened tire, or involved in accidental mishaps – but not accidents of a truly dire nature – not those in which someone was really injured or killed. No, self-pity is too weak a force to have become involved in such developments. For whenever truly heinous acts or crimes have been committed, self-pity has turned over the commandeering of life’s vehicle to other dreadful emotions worse than itself. And yes, we’ve also known them. They’re such as jealousy, despair, anger, or a few others which are the most tempting jewels sent forth from the haven of damnation to terrorize mankind. But of course whenever those dread emotions may have succeeded in their quest to lure mortals into the perpetration of various evils or debasements, they’ve been pursued down the highways of existence by the police forces of law, order, civility, and human rights.

            But I’d have to say that, as is the case with most I suppose, my outlooks on life have been substantially founded upon my interactions with those of the older generations still alive while I was young. And I’ve always believed that my parents’ generation, the so-called “baby-boomers” felt the same about their parents’ generation as I do about them. I’ve heard it said that living through the Great Depression and the second great war cast a cloud of pessimism, and even a lack of the desire of advancement upon that generation (my grandparents). And probably, because it had become fearful of spending much money, that generation also became fairly conservative as regarded its lifestyle or, perhaps we might accept the fact than many of that generation were conservative socially, while being liberal politically; and that can be a dangerous mix, especially when the resulting confused, and frankly hypocritical mindset is eventually bequeathed to future generations.

            And that mindset has, I fear, promoted mediocrity, and discouraged personal advancement. And thus, life today it seems is being lived exceedingly more and more to placate the non-concerned, the non-informed, and most dangerous of all, the careless. And it seems we now live in a society in which all humans are encouraged to be the same. And yet, despite all attempts made to “level the playing field” (God, that’s a ghastly phrase!) over, oh, let’s say the last seventy or so years, so much disparity still exists between each and every human! But my main criticism of those who are sanctioning and implementing such attempts, is that I fear they’re  always too concerned with what they consider to be “chances to succeed,” rather than with the innate differences of ability which exist between all mortals.

            And, amidst all my passing thoughts and realizations lies the brutal fact that time continues, and ours is always less and less of it. And all those goals that we and others had – were they only rays of sunshine quickly clouded? And who were the really great mortals? Were they the dictators such as Stalin? Or were they the conquerors such as Alexander? And was Alexander really great?

            Of course many say that “the commoners” are really the individuals who are living correctly. But personally, my heroes have always been those mortals I’ve considered to be living “carefully.” Still, of course mine has also always been a troubled sense of questioning. And, because of such temporal confusion, I’ve always clung to the appeasing truths and falsehoods of “the city.”