3 January

Flower Art. One Flower Tonight…A Tale Of Two Nations, The Rich And The Poor, The Soft And The Cruel

by Jon Katz

There is only one Flower in my Flower Art Daily Message. I wanted it to stand out and have some impact. People notice the unusual; they can be wary of the ordinary.

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I’m posting this to plead to the people reading it to never give up on the poor, as so many of our leaders have. We live in a time when money has supplanted faith, and truth is lonely and often alone.

In my first job as a reporter, my gruff editor gave me advice worthy of TV at the time: “Kid, you’ll find out sooner or later that there is really only one story in the world – the rich screwing the poor.”

More and more, as I get older, I grasp the truth of what he said.

When I look at the news, especially lately, I see more and more a Tale of Two Nations: one rich, one poor. In a way, each is hateful of the other, and each is dependent on the other. Our society is divided. One is kinder, the other is crueler and angrier..

The poor have never been more alone.

 

 

The leader of one of those nations is influential and has declared war on the poor, especially those who come from afair, have color in their faces, are not men of one faith, and who fight for survival without the resources of the wealthy. One promotes winks at corruption.

The other has just recently appeared and suggested the birth of another kind of nation, another tale.

He is not rich, but has shocked the world by becoming the leader of this country’s largest and most diverse city.

He is as soft as the other is hard, as generous as the other is cruel, as devoted to the poor as the other is to the wealthy.

The two nations are now at war in many ways, and I write this piece to plead with the people who are reading this, never to forget the poor, who have nowhere to go but us.

These two men typify where Thomas Paine’s revolutionary country is now, at a crossroads of the future.

The leader of this new world has captured my attention; he is the first political person in many years to capture my heart and imagination. The men are different, yet simple at the core – they touch people.

In one of his new speeches, the young newcomer pledged to his city that he would never forget the poor. This post is in honor of him and my hope that we follow his call and never forget them, in all the din, lies, and cruelty.

My boss was right. In our country now, there is really only one story. The rich are trying to screw the poor again.

This is a plea to not forgetthe poor in all of the din.

I know which side I am on, and I vow not to forget who needs my help. I pray that the people reading this will do the same.

2 Comments

  1. Beautiful flower photo, both the deep color and the texture. Comforting on such a sad day. And, of course, Zip is very photogenic!

  2. Thanks Jon, I remember when you wrote that a few years ago. I tell it to many people.

    The Quakers (Friends) have an important quote: “WAR IS NOT THE ANSWER.” And after what that cruel leader did Saturday morning in Venezuela, we all must not remain silent.

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