by Ray Jason
 |
| photo by Ray Jason |
Years ago, I nick-named this modest little
spot The Domino Triangle. It was too
tiny for an actual building, so a tarp had been slung to provide shelter from
the sun and the rain. Beneath it was a
folding card table and some battered chairs, where the locals would play
dominoes.
When the tropical heat would begin
to lessen in the late afternoon, the men would start gathering. They arrived with beer and a little pocket
money. They also brought something that is
increasingly rare in our modern world – modest,
earth-bound happiness.
Their conversations revolved around the
elemental concerns of bedrock Humanity – too much work and not enough pay, the entertaining
inscrutability of wives and girlfriends, and the follies of their
grandchildren. Nobody was discussing how
many pixels the next iPhone camera would have or how Amazon’s stock price is so
high when they never turn a profit.
*******
I often stopped and watched them play. In dark moments, when the melancholy was
heavy on me, it reassured me to realize that scattered all around our troubled
planet at this very instant, there were millions of other people laughing and
teasing as they shuffled the tiles for the next game.
But aside from the relaxed playfulness and friendship
that permeated this simple triangle, there was something else in play here that
I had been trying to unravel for a long time.
The other day, when someone unexpectedly had to leave the table, the men
asked me if I wanted to play. When I told
them that I didn’t know how, they offered to teach me. One of them joked that it probably wouldn’t
be a very expensive lesson. Another
laughed and asked me how much money I had in my wallet.
Although I felt honored by this invitation, I declined
and then finished my errands in town and headed back to my boat. That evening, as the sun departed and the
stars arrived, I sat on AVENTURA’s deck and wondered what it was about these simple
domino games that touched me so deeply. Suddenly,
a word cascaded into my consciousness that seemed to answer my question. The word was ACCEPTANCE.
*******
The power of that realization, led me to question what
word I would use to describe myself, as I wander through my Middle Years. I could not settle on one, but there were two
that definitely seemed appropriate to this stage of my life’s voyage. Those two are Seeker and Awakener. For many years now I have been seeking to
understand how the world truly works.
And simultaneously, as my awareness increases, I have been trying to
awaken others to the fact that those who control the narrative about how the
world works are DECEIVING us.
They know that supposedly democratic societies are not
actually ruled by The People. They know
that turning the friendly neighborhood policeman into RoboCop, is not to
protect us. They know that you cannot
solve a problem of too much global debt with more debt. They know that war does not end war. They know that the good jobs are never coming
back - and that the robots ARE coming.
They know that there is enough bounty on our plush
planet for everyone to live a decent, healthy life. But for this to happen they know that they themselves
would have to live in less obscene opulence.
They know that the Invisible Man in the Sky is a sham that is used to
control and divide people. They know
that you cannot have infinite growth on a finite planet. They know that you can only poison the Sky,
the Earth and the Water for so long until the tipping point arrives and Collapse
thunders in. They know all of this and
yet they lie and they shuck and jive and they proclaim that we have never had
it better.
For years now, in over 100 essays, I have tried to
expose this. And a thousand others, scattered throughout the internet, have
raised their voices in protest as well. But
when I survey the societal vectors, do I see a world where suffering is
declining and compassion is increasing?
No – emphatically NO! Our efforts – and my efforts – just seem so useless
and hopeless. But then that
long-suffering idealist within me reminds me that Voltaire and Thomas Paine and
Gandhi were also bludgeoned by doubt as they tried to crusade onward. And I momentarily find comfort in the words
of Ulysses as he rallied his men, “Arise, my friends, tis not too late to seek
a newer world!”
But look at this “newer world.” We humans have “progressed” to the point
where our philosophy is so puny and our weaponry so mighty that we risk
vaporizing our species and our planet.
And if we avoid that, we still might poison our biological support
system. And, if we survive that, we still
face another apocalypse as the Digital Age Dr. Frankensteins try to merge us
with machines and THE CLOUD.
*******
And so, as I watch the contented men slap the dominoes
on the table and chatter happily about inconsequential matters, I recognize
that there is great wisdom in their acceptance of the way things are. They instinctively understand that my
attempts to make the world at least a tiny bit better are probably doomed to
failure and may lead to despair. They
know in their heart of hearts that this life is short. But they also know that the beer is cold and
laughter is superb medicine and there is a chair opening up at the table, so
why don’t I join them?
And perhaps - I finally will …