Lying on my night stand, most likely with a thin layer of dust starting to form on top, is the novel Don Quixote, sitting there, mocking me for not having read it yet despite its prominent positioning next to my bed. Screw you mocking book...it is a colossal struggle for me to keep my eyes open while reading in bed. I need a trip to Cuba, and while I am sipping piña coladas poolside I would finish you...so if you have nothing nice to say, bugger off book! Now that I have that off my chest let me say that since I have not read the novel in its entirety what I say in reference to it is from my collection of ideas and themes that are supposedly contained within it's pages.
The novels full title is The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha. Cervantes masterpiece work from the early 1600's. Which is impressive considering it comes only a few hundred years after the invention of the printing press. To have penned such a mini tome for distribution must have pointed to its relevance and popularity, knowing that in the earliest days of this most significant invention the print medium was almost exclusively set aside for the church and nobles.
Our protagonist with his faithful companion Sancho and the ass Rocinante venture out on a series of adventurers to restore chivalry and decency....at this point you are starting to piece together where this is going...we could use a little Don Quixote to bring back some sanity and most importantly decency.
At a time when we have a presidential candidate openly referring to the size of his junk and what he can and will do to women, a barrage of sexism and racism, an onslaught of turpitude and misguided morality that seeks not to find common ground or compassion but instead tearing down your neighbour while building a wall to keep them all out. Quite the contortionists we have, bending into human pretzels while bemoaning the state of affairs and simultaneously turning a blind eye to the repugnant and vile demagoguery that some leaders use as their founding doctrine. Red versus blue versus orange, white against black against brown, women versus men, conservatives against liberals...nothing, nothing, nothing but us against them....or so it seems. In our overly connected world it really does seem like we only hear about the bad stuff, if it bleeds it leads and going for the shock value means you can charge a few more million for that 30 second spot to sell the masses on the merits of the newest iPhone. How did we get here?
Like anything, there is no one answer or one reason, but I think in the end, for too many people, it's just easier to put a fist up instead of extend a hand in greeting or friendship. Stepping over and on people for personal gain, be it real or feigned, seems easier than getting there together. It can be hard to see the positive in the world....but we must, because it is there. Everyday and everywhere we are reminded of human decency and our collective humanity, we just need to listen more and make that a part of our lives.
Hold that door open for the person behind you. Offer to help someone with the groceries. Go a day without saying anything negative and than do it for a week. And than just keep going....like Forrest Gump with his ridiculous run across country, for no particular reason, just do it. Expect nothing save the knowledge that you are doing something right. Your reward is a smile or a thank you. Let decency breed decency and let us do right by the Don and Sancho.
“For neither good nor evil can last forever;
and so it follows that as evil has lasted a long time,
good must now be close at hand.”
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