Love can change the world.

Written January 20, 2015 - after the celebrations of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday.

The more I think about the celebration of MLK’s birthday and his life, and how far back we have regressed, the sadder I become.  For some time now I think people thought we were making progress because the young people voted in an African American president, took to the streets for Occupy, and continue to fight for #BlackLivesMatter.  But in fact, we have gone backwards, and our polarization is at an all time high.

     Today Oxfam issued a report that 1% of people own more than 50% of resources and wealth.  Unless you are dead, you have felt the effects of this distortion and greed.  It’s what my husband calls a disorder - should be added to the DSM — as a particular disorder of the 1%.  Their need for greed and acquisition has no boundaries, and will continue to wreck havoc on the world.  We see it everywhere we look —  I must stop reading the newspaper where I see stories of homeless men and women being beaten and set fire to so they die.  There is such serious sociopathy in our society that sometimes the only response is flight.  Fighting seems hopeless.  The 1% own the police and the army and most of those who think they can become the 1% and so act in their service.  Running dogs of the rich are now more than the rabbits they hunt down.  Or at least it seems that way.

     My horoscope today:  “Of all the forces that can change the world, love is still the most powerful.  Do not doubt that your small, loving interactions person-to-person will make a difference.”    I have never believed any of that claptrap and only read the horoscopes to see how far off they are, or how distorted is my own sign, Pisces.  Love is not a clear cut thing — there are all kinds of love in my experience.  There is true self love, that has nothing to do with narcissism, there are those who truly love their children and again, devoid of narcissism.  There is the unconditional love of a dependent child (never experienced that with my own child) or the reverse, the unconditional love of a parent.  There is puppy love, early love, that seems more to do with hormones and pheromones than any depth of love.  And there is friendship that is love, that says, I would do anything for you.

     So where am I going with this?  Where do I want to go? To find some solution to the hatred that is dividing, and actually splintering our entire country.  

This New Yorker cover was interesting - came in the mail January 22.  Odd cover.  What do you think?  Can love change the world?  Can we reverse all this hatred?