Things Fall Apart

I happened across one of my favorite poems this morning, by W.B. Yeats. It seemed very appropriate to the age in which we live.

"Things fall apart; the centre will not hold.

More anarchy is loosed upon the world.

The blood-dimmed tide is loosed and everywhere

The ceremony of innocence is drowned;

The best lack all conviction, while the worst

are full of passionate intensity."

The drug cartels that threaten our southern border are intensely passionate about their efforts to turn the entirety of the Mexican government into a drug cartel and expand their empire into Texas, Arizona,New Mexico and California as a beginning while our Homeland Security forces shrug off the threat and while our Congress will not act to fill Federal Judicial benches that have been vacant for months and years.

The Iranian government is passionate about obtaining full nuclear capability so that they can irradiate and eradicate Israel. Who in our government has any passion for halting the Iranian movement?

The North Korean dictator is passionate about obtaining full nuclear capability as well. He is close to meeting his goal. Who will stand up to halt his progress?

Somalian pirates as well as Darfurian and Congolese murderers who rival the worst of the Khmer Rouge  ravage Africa. They are passionate about their piracy and genocide. Who has the conviction to halt their progress?

Closer to home, at least for the moment:

There are literally millions of Americans who have no means by which to take care of their own health. There are individuals who are experiencing major health problems, as I write these words, who have no place to turn for treatment. We have public health facilities that are completely inadequate to meet the needs of our young, our old and our infirm. These individuals are U.S. citizens and human beings. They are passionately in need of help. Who has any conviction to help them? I have nothing against providing best practice health care to all in need. I think we should; still, why can we not provide health care to U.S. citizens who are so desperately in need?

There are thousands of public schools that provide inadequate education. In fact they cannot even ensure the safety of their students. Most human beings, if given the opportunity and support, are passionate about learning. Perhaps not eveyone is thrilled by Algebra or American History, or Civics, but they are passionate about learning something. How to play the piano. How to write a short story. How to build a bridge or repair an automobile. Why is it that there is no will to provide the sort of training that our citizens want and need? Does everyone need a college education? No. But they need and deserve to be educated.

The list goes on.

Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold.

Comments

[Ed Blackstone]

Our morals have fallen apart as well. Turn on the television set and see what American has become by seeing what Americans prefer to watch for entertainment. Moral standards are so low. How could we expect that any other standards would be higher? It's very depressing and I worry about the country my kids will have to live in. I am afraid that it really won't be this country anymore. I not sure that it still is now.