Glenn Stewart Coles, 9251 Yonge Street, Suite 8-924, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada, L4C 9T3
Text Box: The first in a series of American street riots happened on Mayday, 2007 in MacArthur Park. Once known for the lyric in this article’s title, the park in Los Angeles has a new image after police met a large group protesting immigration laws. Video shows the armored line moving forward, swinging batons and shooting rubber bullets. The line even pushed reporters and camera-people, and the mission to disperse was successful. In the aftermath we discuss these actions that currently define who we are. This was not the first riot in Los Angeles. This was not the first time that LA police have been filmed beating people. This was not the first riot in America, nor the first example of police reacting with force. We have also seen similar occurrences around the world. However, this event could indicate change in our social order, and we could experience more. We all know that the world is in a difficult situation. While some of us realize that the common enemy is ourselves, others expend energy making weapons and fighting. Eventually the need for survival will overcome the need to fight, and our species could learn things the hard way. In the meantime our planet is shifting, and humanity is required to shift with it. For many, these shifts will be disturbing. When food supplies diminish, many will respond with anger and desperation. When the economic system collapses, many will refuse to cooperate with authorities, claiming ownership of their possessions. When our dependence upon the infrastructure is revealed by its absence, many will feel lost. It is important to recognize that these shifts are beneficial to humanity and the development of our species. A power structure has developed that feeds itself by consuming resources. One of the key resources consumed is the effort of others, and the machines that run the world have many names. Governments, corporations, military forces and their opponents are all involved in a struggle to control the world. While many individuals live in peace, the world is at war. Willingly or not, those who live in peace feed the machine that continues the wars. Most countries have military forces in action somewhere on the globe. While most who have Internet live in comparative peace, around the world there are many children who have witnessed violent death. Around the world there are many without food, water or shelter. Of six billion inhabitants, only a fortunate few live in comfort. The secret of our salvation lies in recognition of the contrasts offered to us, and a restatement of our desires. If we want everyone in the world to have food, we must figure out a nutritious diet that can be easily created. By adapting our bodily needs to nutritional rather than psychological desires, there will be enough for everyone and all can be healthy. If we want to survive beyond the oil-age, we must commit to expending our remaining resources on the creation of an infrastructure that allows a perpetual symbiotic relationship with our planet. Change can be difficult for any individual. For most of us, there are some habits that seem to hang on forever. We know what we should do to improve, but each year goes by and we stay the same. When attempting to introduce dramatic change to a group, acceptance can be more difficult to achieve. While change may sweep through when the majority accepts new practices, innovative ideas often meet resistance. However, to paraphrase Gandhi, ‘the truth is the truth, no matter how many people are saying it.’ We have passed the peak of the Oil Age, and each coming year will see diminishing resources. Do we expend our energy on conflict, or do we create a paradise where all can live in peace and harmony? The lightworkers know the choice to make, and it will take our love and hope to overcome fear and desperation. The path is open, and we continue to create… © Copyright Glenn Stewart Coles, 2007 First Published May 6, 2007

Subscribe to

Weekly Inspirations

Someone Left the Cake Out in the Rain

 

This event could indicate change in our social order, and we could experience more.

Tiananmen Square - BW
Tiananmen Square - BW Poster
Buy at AllPosters.com
A Makeshift Peace Sign of Flowers Lies on Top John Lennon's Strawberry Fields Memorial
A Makeshift Peace Sign of Flowers Lies on Top John Lennon's Strawberry Fields Memorial Photographic Print
Buy at AllPosters.com
The Riots in Belfast: the Police Charging the Mob in the Brickfields
The Riots in Belfast: the Police Charging the Mob in the Brickfields Giclee Print
Buy at AllPosters.com
MacArthur Park, Los Angeles, California
MacArthur Park, Los Angeles, California Art Print
Buy at AllPosters.com