These are indeed tumultuous times; the World seems to be in turmoil, last seen in the 1930s and it is frightening. I love History and have always read historical books ever since I can remember. As human beings we have a lot to ascertain from our past, but like most things in life, we never do. I never seem to learn either; I have made the same old mistakes, time after time and never really no why.
I was watching the news this morning. President Trump, was once again top of the agenda, as he stumbles into his second week of the Presidency. Already he his making some radical decisions, determined to follow through with his pledges and promises; his latest Presidential orders, to stop Muslims from certain countries from entering the USA. It all seems very 'pre-war Germany' to me. I studied the rise of the Hitler and the Second World War, extensively and there are comparisons in these two men, which we should all be weary of.
I am anti extremism in all respects; extreme religion is a scourge on our world. When one looks at what ISIS and even legitimate Countries have done against human dignity, it is shocking; beyond shocking. The mistreatment of women, gays and Christians, in the name of Allah, is sick. These people do not deserve to partake, in society, in the same way you or I do. Does that mean, Donald Trump is right, in what he is doing? This is something my conscience has been wrestling with, since this man was swept into office. Should we all fall behind the President, as Americans usually do and support his agenda? no matter how repugnant it may be! Or should the people of the world stand up and voice their opinions?
There has been plenty of turmoil in my life, over the last few years, as readers of my blogs are well aware. Many people understood, what myself and Darrell were going through at work, through misdeeds and the actions of repugnant individuals. Most of those who understood our circumstances, said nothing, even those close to us, at that time. They had lost their voices and ability, to stand up for friends. To me that is shocking; I have always stood shoulder to shoulder, with those I believe in, may need help or victims of circumstances. Not only would I speak up on behalf of others who had no voice, both professionally at 'Action for Children', as a Mentor and Advocate, but also personally. I have helped people all my life, find jobs, give them a roof over their head and speak, when they couldn't; I got nothing in return!
Similarly, like the world we live in at the moment, my life remains in a confused state of flux, constantly changing, a little directionless and always on the edge. We could all do with a lift up now and again, mostly it never happens and we continue fighting our turmoil, while everything around us, seems to come crashing down. I am in a strange country, fighting for survival after the most difficult period in my life. Those difficulties continue, in a different vein and as yet I don't see an end to them anytime soon. I do what I can, as we all should.
Donald Trump is a man with conviction. The pledges he made before the election, he is adhering too; that's great you might say! In fact he is dealing with a world that is broken and a problem that will not go away, despite the draconian measures he puts in place. I have many friends, from different walks of life; different cultures, creeds, colour and backgrounds. They all have one thing in common, the reason they are my friends; they accept me for who I am, no matter who they are. How can you possibly try and stop a whole race of people entering a country, under the premise, they are all terrorists; this is nonsense! Many of the people he is stopping from entering the US, are fleeing the very people, he is trying to eradicate. They are not one and the same. A refugee is a refugee and a terrorist is a terrorist. The people Trump has banned entering the USA, have had no part to play in American deaths, through terrorism, unlike Saudi Arabia for example, who had a large part to play in 9/11, who's citizens are not banned; this is about politics!
The World is in chaos at the moment, especially the Middle East. Trump wants to pull up the drawbridge and look after number one, isolating himself and his country from the rest of the world. From the building of the Mexican wall to the banning of refugees, the new President has a mission. Despite what he may say, on the surface this plan seems racist and discriminatory, the same itinerary Hitler had in the 1930s. Nationalism is on the rise, across Europe and the rest of the world. In many ways you could call me a Nationalist; I voted for Brexit, love my Country and am a staunch Monarchist; but I am not a racist. What Donald Trump is doing, is singling out a particular sector of society and blaming the worlds problems on them, as Hitler did to the jews in Germany. His message is populist, appealing to Americans basic instincts to protect themselves, their families and their country. His intimation is also highly perilous and counterproductive: it will cause a rise in extremism and will be detrimental, even dangerous to America and her allies. This kind of policy schedule is not the way forward; I fear for the future.
As a person I was singled out by a sociopath, for obscure reasons and was told to keep quiet and not speak up, against villainous intent. As one would expect from me, I did the complete opposite, speaking up on every occasion I could and will continue to do so. We all have freedom of speech and are able to express our feeling, as we would wish. If you do not believe in what someone is doing, then you have a duty to make yourself heard, if not for you, for others.
I don't believe what the President of The United States is doing, is right and proper, just or moral. Although I understand his frustration, trying to solve the problem of terrorism, I do not believe the methods he is employing as workable. The long term effects of what is does now, will be catastrophic for future generations. In the short to medium term, there will be more acts or terrorism, bought about by people, displaced by his policies, turning to the very organisations he is trying to curtail; the reverse of what he is setting out to achieve!
Presidents come and go, as the circumstances that shape and mould our lives change and adapt, all the time, every day. Mostly, we say nothing, keep our mouths shut and turn a blind eye, to unjustifiable acts, that should never have been employed. Sometimes, all of us have to stand up and be counted; if we don't then we risk becoming a pawn in a very dangerous game. Isolate yourselves, all you want, it will not correct what is going on around you. When you finally pop your head, outside that locked door, you may not be able to put the resulting mayhem back together again!
