A Change of Heart, A Change of Mind and a Change of Direction

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jose-andres-keep-america-fed-coronavirus-60-minutes-2020-04-19/?fbclid=IwAR2Q5BL15AV2GK0nbIV8nHXE2wyapiKigYTTAm_vzuzogGw9x-TdqQRp8H8

“Breakdowns create breakthroughs.

Breakthroughs create more breakthroughs.More breakthroughs create friction because idiots be jealous or don’t get it or protect their little corner and act out of spite. So you breakdown for another breakthrough. If you’re about to break, go for broke. If you’re not breaking, you’re not really living.”― Richie Norton

Over the past decade humans were sprinting from one innovation to another. Automation, mechanization, cybernetics, space exploration, virtual worlds, you imagine it, our geniuses can make it happen. We have had a few reality checks to slow down a bit, perhaps to take a few moments to savor the fruits of our labor, or even just to simply live. The increasing violence, mass killings, suicide rates, human trafficking, basically the slow and decline of moral and ethical values. Then there are calamities, volcano eruption, earthquakes, tsunamis yet we were all oblivious to the messages being sent our way. We were too busy thinking of the next Instagram post, or youtube video, perhaps we were researching our new Podcast? We were consumed with ourselves, and just so engrossed with the discovery of the endless possibilities of talents and what we can achieve.

Then came COVID19, where we were totally caught by surprise to a point where we actually thought it wasn't real. But it is real and it has affected the life of each and every human here on earth. I remember what Pope Francis said in Si Laudato:

"When we fail to acknowledge as part of reality the worth of a poor person, a homeless person, a person with disabilities, the hungry, the unemployed, the criminal– to offer just a few examples – it becomes difficult to hear the cry of nature itself; everything is connected. Once the human being declares independence from reality and behaves with absolute dominion, the very foundations of our life begin to crumble, for “instead of carrying out his role as a part of a collective whole, one or a few handful sets himself up in place the rest, ends up provoking a rebellion on the part of nature.”

Mario Savio said it best in his speech in UC Berkeley in 1965: “There's a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious—makes you so sick at heart—that you can't take part. You can't even passively take part. And you've got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers, upon all the apparatus, and you've got to make it stop. And you've got to indicate to the people who run it, to the people who own it that unless you're free, the machine will be prevented from working at all.” The movement against racism and human rights, a battle then, an the human struggle and inequality still exists now.

"Politics concerned with immediate results, are supported by myopic consumerism driven to produce short-term growth and profit. True statecraft is manifest when, in difficult times, we uphold high principles and think of the long-term common good. "

In the link above, Jose Andres a chef in New York, was able to provide food to the hungry and at the same time work for the unemployed. "While the existing world order proves powerless to assume its responsibilities, individuals and local groups step up and make a real difference. The power then comes back to the hands of the people, the very people who handed their power to a trusted mentor, a master. Only when they decided to take it back that they are able to instill to themselves a greater sense of responsibility, a strong sense of community, a readiness to protect others, a spirit of creativity and a deep love for the land and for each other..."

A wake up call. Let us process the meaning of what today's events is trying to teach us. Hunger, poverty, unemployment? Let us learn from other states on how it is done. When Las Vegas 1000 plus homeless stare from across the parking lot at the 2M dollar tents created for positive COVID19 homeless cases wishing they were sick with COVID 19, then there is something wrong with the picture. When the entertainment, gaming and hotel industry leaders pressure the mayor to open Vegas with no regard for the safety of the employees and the consumers, then that is truly a revelation of what the priorities are.

As we continue to process the message of this disruption in our lives, I hope that we can think beyond our personal needs and learn from a better moral compass: where the hungry is fed, where the wealthy share a little bit of what they have. Many workers, construction, culinary, housekeeping, security, entertainers, front desk, gaming, ironworkers, teachers, law enforcement, healthcare etc. we all have supported this State for so many years, if they are not willing to support us during this difficult times, where our lives could potentially in danger, how do they expect us to offer them the same commitment?