unwelcome truths
by Elouise
Protests are never enough
Banners prod but don’t produce solutions
Anger spills from hot microphones
Releasing age-old frustrations
Captured in picture-perfect news clips
What-next moments reveal unwelcome truths
Weary eyes beg for sleep
So little energy today
Dreams are easier to entertain
Than cruel realities on the ground
As a white woman, I often find myself at a loss. What to do? What not to do? Do ‘they’ (whoever ‘they’ happen to be on any given day) really want my input or partnership? Maybe I’m barking up the wrong tree. Perhaps I should take care of my own unexamined business as the white woman I am.
Right from the top, I’d say taking care of my own business isn’t just a ‘good’ thing to do. It’s a radically necessary part of becoming human regardless of my color, upbringing, beliefs, privileges, or trauma.
Nonetheless, the challenge brings up deeper issues of race, class, color, creed, privilege, political inclinations, and a lot more.
I can’t be everyone. I can only be myself. Which is a crazy thing to acknowledge, given my nearly life-long obsession with being the woman someone else thought I should be. Making you happy about me would somehow make me happy about myself. As though I’d finally ‘found’ myself.
However, I began finding myself only after I stopped trying to be the polite human female others thought I should be. Retirement and old age (78 and counting) have been tough taskmasters. My options for helping change the world are diminishing.
Given the options, I’ve chosen global climate change as a way of bringing together multiple issues. Or, to put it another way, without global climate change, other social and global issues won’t have a chance of being addressed. This includes Race, Gender, Refugees, War, Poverty, Crop Survival, Water Rights, Hoarding of Riches, Gun Violence, Voting Rights, Pandemics and more.
What does this mean for me? It means doing what I can to acknowledge the high price climate change has imposed on those with the least resources. More on that in another post. Right now it’s time to get this baby in the pipeline and eat lunch!
Cheers!
Elouise♥
© Elouise Renich Fraser, 28 January 2022
Photo found at nationalgeographic.com
Telling the Truth 
How deep this is, Elouise!
Society has a long way to go.
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Thank you, Isha! I pray we’ll find our way back to some semblance of sanity and clarity.
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This is the gem I picked from the whole parcel. “acknowledge the high price climate change has imposed on those with the least resources.” Thank you.
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You’re more than welcome, John. The data is horrifying. It’s also made visible every time (for example) we have catastrophic flooding (from hurricanes) in the Southeast gulf states. Or check out data on Deep South gulf coast residents regarding race, income levels, health issues, and who profits from oil drilling emergencies that kill off salt-water fish and seabirds. The picture couldn’t be clearer. Some pieces of climate change we’ve brought on ourselves; other pieces are due to politically motivated deals for offshore drilling that exacerbates environmental stress.
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