Friday, July 07, 2006

angloarab

watched syriana last night with jayme
made me think about a lot of things
things that i usually don't like thinking about
why?
because they're too depressing
it's hard enough to live your life
keep your head up
without thinking about all the problems out there in this convoluted world of ours
i'm not a political person
i've never written about that stuff
don't follow it for the most part
i stay out of it
my dad is from syria
politics in his blood
i suppose it's in the blood of anyone who comes from poverty
i remember being 9 and dad taking me and faris to a holiday inn in el paso
to see speakers from iran talking about overthrowing the shah
weird dim lighting
we couldn't understand a word
it was all in arabic
why at a holiday inn?
lot's of raised voices and hand gestures
dad told us about what they said on the ride home
in the back seat of his diesel cadillac
i watched the city lights blur by
and thought about how glad i was we lived in america
but i didn't feel like a "real" american
yet dad loved to talk about politics
argued it over the dinner table with anyone who would have a go with him
it was horrible when he and my mom's parents (diehard republicans)
would go at it
we would just slide down in our chairs
and try to sneak off
they usually wouldn't even notice or care when we did
all caught up in their useless bickering
i don't think they ever solved anything did they?
no i'm pretty sure they didn't
i remember mr. papadopoulos
a wealthy arab mexican friend of my dad said this once at our dinner table
(in very broken english)
"the poor cry politik politik politik!!! all the time...
the rich - no politik - the rich own politik"
his big bellowing laugh followed
i'll never forgot that one statement
clear as day after all these years
made quite an impression on me
the only thing i ever remember mister p saying
so when i was a kid i guess i made a decision early on that i've stuck to
for the better part of my life
i think the rich and their collective corporations own politics
therefore they own the world
90% of politicians are people hanging out in their back pockets
they're not in it for the good of humankind
only their own selfish self interests
they're destroying everything on this planet in the name of the dollar bill
they're wrecking the ozone
ignoring warning signs mother nature is sending 'em
but when she comes crashing down on us all
i wanna see them buy their way out of that one!
no use fussing over it too much right?
it'll probably always be this way
so i stay out of it
it's futile
it gets my blood pressure up
it makes me depressed
so like most americans i try to enjoy the good life
i have my cozy little domestic
it's relatively safe here
nice and comfy
though movies like syriana remind us of the overwhelming ugliness
the futility
the sadness
the injustice out there
it's staggering
it's too scary to truly comprehend
maybe i can make one extremely small contribution to the scrapheap of mankind
try to live a decent peaceful life
send love out there into the world instead of hatred
try to find a better way
it's the only thing i know to do
the problems in the middle east could be the downfall of humankind someday
there's a seed of hatred festering there
that's been growing and spreading for hundreds of years
our government's bombs will not stop them
they will keep coming at us until there's nothing left on this earth
but a solitary tumbleweed
there's a child right now who just lost his parents to a US missile
he will grow up with nothing on his mind but revenge
wouldn't you too if you lived in their shoes?
our generation bombed
we failed
it's over
i'm gonna get political now so watch out...
look who we elected president for christsake!!!!
or did we?
i have a hunch the idiots throne was purchased
anyway i pray our children can find a way to a better world
i hope there's a world left for my child to even grow up in
and at the rate our politicans are going there may not be

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Okay Mr. S, you erupted a most poignant topic (perhaps even disturbing Pandora) subjects of great contention in the troubled yet DUMBfounded society we live. Ahhh...may I refer to the cliche about ignorance is bliss...this is the road I usually choose to travel. Avoiding any form of news, political matters of any kind. Except when we truly have an opportunity to impact and exercise our voice...ohhh yeah, the almighty power to vote...which many tell me could result in tipping the scales of power...yes...that’s absolutely true...my mark on a piece of paper or one press of a button could possibly change the entire nature of our existence...one that could aspire a heightened sense of awareness resulting in equality for all brethren near and far, peace, love for they neighbor, destroy the many that have become robots in their way of living...just following and/or existing, perhaps impair or even eliminate the plethora of selfishness, greed, self interest groups, the people overly interested in themselves and people who love them (narcissist anonymous?), tyrants who are as plentiful as dust mites. However, after much dirgressing, my (voting) experience leaves me contemplating...what the hell did most of the convoluted verbiage on the ballot mean? Did I just throw my one molecule sized opportunity to change the future, the world?

Cheers to post traumatic everything...voting...movie watching...impulse buying...lost love...rebound love...lust...staining your new favorite shirt that was the staple of your weekend wardrobe...receiving unsolicited, prolonged, and probably way over-analyzed responses to personal blog commentary. I promise this is in no way meant to be flippant about personal experiences, thoughts or feelings…just a plug on imbalance and reality at times (and, not boastful, almost have Ph.D in pre, current, and post trauma everything).

In the end though, I still believe everyone can make a difference no matter who you are, how much money you have, level of education, your score on the beauty odometer, level of bitterness, existing in constant state of bliss until you annoy the hell out of others enough to wonder how can they be so freakin' happy...more clichés...please insert here...they are plentiful...and some oh so true.

Thank goodness for genuine people, music (Nourallah tunes...ahhhh.), film, arts and air conditioning!

Hang in there brother...and to the real point of this post…might I remind you about the almighty, super talented, and ohhhh so beautiful Johnny Depp and the debut of of his new movie 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest'(you will receive no apologies for my shallowness, especially whenever it involves Johnny). Pure entertainment and even though disguised...Johnny never disappoints...such talent AND eye candy! On that note...always remember to support Johnny! May he always be hot!!!!!

cheerios,
L

3:14 PM  

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