Shattered Dreams

Submitted by Lindsay
Melbourne Australia!

A land flowing with Milk and Honey - Exodus 3, 8

(6/2020) When the first pioneers arrived in the new country that eventually became The United States of America, they must have gasped at the bounty they found. Wonderful soil, great rivers, fertile plains and a wonderful climate. Not that they had much time or inclination to admire, their time was spent in surviving, creating a colony and learning how to live. But it was so different to the old country, so… free.

The stories travelled back to England, and it was not long before the new land was populated. Their tales became legends, the philosophy of plenty and success became normal, and the race was on. Migrants flocked in from every corner of the world, the north, south east and west were explored, settled and made prosperous.

The dreams and hopes of many became reality, forming part of the ethos and folklore of the greatest country on earth. The excitement was felt by everyone who heard the tales, saw the pictures, and their aim became to get there, try their luck, make a fortune, or simply be a tourist.

Dreams became a kind of reality, because it is almost impossible to live without them. Even when things didn’t turn out as expected we still push on, over the hill, into the unknown.

There comes a time, however, when all hope is extinguished. I was reading of the prisoners who were awaiting execution in the nineteenth century in England. Up to sixty-in-one long block, all expecting their name would be the next one called, hoping it was not their turn. It was not until they were standing on the trapdoor, blindfolded, the priest having forgiven them their sins, that the finality of their situation really hit home. They went to their death mute, beyond words.

For soldiers it is quite different. They expect they could die, and go on anyway. It is called courage, and most people in the armed forces show it, partly because it is expected, partly because they are proud to defend the cause. But most of us are not in the services, none of us awaiting the hangman, but we still dream of the future, of better times, health and fortune. We cannot go on without it, even if we sometimes suspect it is futile or so unlikely that we give a wry grin. The lottery, the gold nugget, the miracle cure, all are dreams that comfort us and help us put one foot in front of the other each day.

These are things we don’t really expect, but many have been fed on the expectation of good things tomorrow. It has even been given a name: The Great American Dream. Books, magazines, film, and especially TV shows were created to sell that picture. Wholesome, good living prosperity can be yours if you… if you do… what? Buy the products, love your family, obey the rules, stop complaining? That was, and is, the message that became your security blanket, but which also duped you into acceptance.

The whole fabric of society has been designed to produce obedience, because that is needed to run a population so complex, so ginormous that if it were otherwise there would be chaos. Of course, we also have the freedom to do things without much restriction, providing they do not break laws, often made by these who want to show how powerful and righteous they are.

The greatest dream of all is that of freedom. A free society might happen, we are told, if you work for it, if you protect it by fighting for it, but actual freedom – that is, to go where and when you want to, to choose as you like, think your own thoughts and work at your own jobs – is for most people a delusion dressed in the colours of liberty.

The truth is that many of us are controlled by the powerful. Without realising it, we come to like it: we don’t have to think, our minds become lazy, and we accept what we are told with much grumbling and little rebellion. And that is where Mr Trump’s popularity resides. Apathy caused by poor schooling leading to the inability to think clearly and logically, the power of social media’s approval that supports such ignorance, and the last thing left, hope.

The powerful run the country, control the share market and believe they cannot lose because the dollar is still strong. Of course it is. It is the currency used by 90% of world trades, which gives it resilience beyond pretty much anything that happens at home. It’s beaten the pound and the euro; the Chinese are trying to introduce their own version, the Ranminbi, with some success in some of the less developed countries who have benefited from their belt and road initiative. They have no reason to love America after sanctions and manipulation of their governments, and are helping China make the Ranminbi an international reserve currency.

But will the dollar survive COVID-19? Unlike climate change, this is affecting every country at the same time. Australia has just issued bonds to the tune of 60 billion, bringing the total to 500, over 10% of gdp. You will be far worse off, as you cannot print money forever – your bond holders will get scared, China might pullt the plug, and you will be exposed as never before to the American Idiot, you know, those who want everyone to carry a gun, who deny their neighbours healthcare, who don’t believe in viruses, who just want things to be the way they were before… you know, when the good old days were here.

Unfortunately, the leading figure in idiocy is good old Donald who dresses up vice as morality, is the purveyor of shattered dreams, and has turned freedom into free-dumb. (Apologies, Umair Haque). His ‘lets get moving again’ mantra is at the behest of his highly over-geared friends who know that if it doesn’t, they will likely finish in the dustbin. And so will he.

The great depression will look like a mere divot in the golf course of life, and the only way the land of Bilk and Money can return to its place as a sane, welcoming and caring nation where money is no longer the only god will be by those of you – yes the millions who DO know, who are realists, who see China as threat, not a supplier of profitable merchandise, and who will prepare for the Brave New World.