This meant a lot to me. I took a number of photos of combatants during the civil war when I worked there as a journalist. I put some together in this YouTube presentation:
The story gets told over and over again- the setting changes, the details change but so much is just a reflection of another place and time. Oppressed people just trying to survive . Thanks for sharing. I did some short-term medical mission work in a Nicaraguan refugee camp in 1984 and the parallels are so discouraging.
You're right, of course, Mark. Just trying to survive. We are all just trying to survive. It's our differences in values that lead us to diverging conclusions as to how to go about surviving.
Yes Louise, we are indeed all just trying to survive. It would have been much more accurate if I had said "FIGHTING to survive."
What I had in mind, was not what I typed. I was remembering the thousands of people arriving at the refugee camp, many of whom we treated. They had tried to flee machetes and bullets, some more successfully than others. Many were traumatized by the wounded family members they had to leave enroute so they could survive themselves. Many arrived after weeks of traveling through the jungle with nothing but emaciated kids, empty bellies and the clothes on their back. They were truly fighting to survive, which is fortunately something I can only imagine.
Yes, in many ways, history is rhyming. However, there is also such a large percentage of the population of the world that does not want this to continue.
Each country is different. Each culture is different. There is no one way to end the madness. We can see what has worked in the past, for example, the factors that influenced the end of U.S. involvement in Vietnam, peaceful protests here in Japan that exerted pressure on the government's decisions to delay the restart of the nuclear reactors, boycotts of grapes and Gallo wine brought about changes in labor conditions in California in the 1960s-70s, and on and on. There has been backsliding on many issues, yes, but over the decades, changes have come about due to the dedication of people who believe it is possible for society to evolve in a just manner. (Sorry, guess I'm feeling soap boxy at the moment.) ;-)
The songs are 1) a way to remember the sacrifices of those dedicated people, 2) to teach others about what happened in the past, and 3) to sing together in solidarity. Like you, I hope that one day we'll only sing them while thinking about the issues we USED to have. ☮️
I hope with you Louise every day - to stand in solidarity is of such importance, I agree that progress in some areas has been made but when we try to see the world as a whole, there are still vast chasms of work to be done.
A good reminder for any writer on Valentines Day: "Every song I've ever written has been a love song. / This is just another song for the love of an unknown soldier."
Thanks for sharing another poignant and touching protest song.
This meant a lot to me. I took a number of photos of combatants during the civil war when I worked there as a journalist. I put some together in this YouTube presentation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2V-46QlZJo&pp=ygUSRk1MTiAod2Fyd2ljayBmcnkp
Warwick, these images are incredible; illustrative of the fighters at the time. Thank you so much for sharing the video with us.
The story gets told over and over again- the setting changes, the details change but so much is just a reflection of another place and time. Oppressed people just trying to survive . Thanks for sharing. I did some short-term medical mission work in a Nicaraguan refugee camp in 1984 and the parallels are so discouraging.
You're right, of course, Mark. Just trying to survive. We are all just trying to survive. It's our differences in values that lead us to diverging conclusions as to how to go about surviving.
Yes Louise, we are indeed all just trying to survive. It would have been much more accurate if I had said "FIGHTING to survive."
What I had in mind, was not what I typed. I was remembering the thousands of people arriving at the refugee camp, many of whom we treated. They had tried to flee machetes and bullets, some more successfully than others. Many were traumatized by the wounded family members they had to leave enroute so they could survive themselves. Many arrived after weeks of traveling through the jungle with nothing but emaciated kids, empty bellies and the clothes on their back. They were truly fighting to survive, which is fortunately something I can only imagine.
We are not for learning the lessons of history are we? No matter how sad, how devastating they are, the grim repetition continues…
Thank you for this moving song Louise - maybe one day they won’t have to be written any more - we can but pray 🙏🏽
Thank you for your comments, Susie.
Yes, in many ways, history is rhyming. However, there is also such a large percentage of the population of the world that does not want this to continue.
Each country is different. Each culture is different. There is no one way to end the madness. We can see what has worked in the past, for example, the factors that influenced the end of U.S. involvement in Vietnam, peaceful protests here in Japan that exerted pressure on the government's decisions to delay the restart of the nuclear reactors, boycotts of grapes and Gallo wine brought about changes in labor conditions in California in the 1960s-70s, and on and on. There has been backsliding on many issues, yes, but over the decades, changes have come about due to the dedication of people who believe it is possible for society to evolve in a just manner. (Sorry, guess I'm feeling soap boxy at the moment.) ;-)
The songs are 1) a way to remember the sacrifices of those dedicated people, 2) to teach others about what happened in the past, and 3) to sing together in solidarity. Like you, I hope that one day we'll only sing them while thinking about the issues we USED to have. ☮️
I hope with you Louise every day - to stand in solidarity is of such importance, I agree that progress in some areas has been made but when we try to see the world as a whole, there are still vast chasms of work to be done.
One day… one hope 🤍
One day… one hope. I like that. 🤍
A good reminder for any writer on Valentines Day: "Every song I've ever written has been a love song. / This is just another song for the love of an unknown soldier."