Put Your Armor On

The only thing needed for evil to prosper is for good men to do nothing.

Edmund Burke
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Hello Geo
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The advocates of error
Foresee the glorious morn,
And hear in shrinking terror
The watchword of reform:
Ir rings from hill and valley,
I breaks oppression's chain.
A thousand freemen rally,
And swell the mighty strain.
(Anonymous)

In the North, Winter is slowly approaching like a company of silent tanks. And before it, to announce it, are the cold biting winds of ignorance. This is a time for holidays, joy, festivities, families and happiness. But, as one guest author pointed out, it has become a time for the frenzy of shopping, trying to get the latest game or gadget before the store is sold out. Beginning on Black Friday where people, who should have been enjoying the echoes of Thanksgiving for harvest, were lined up in the cold ready to participate in the mad mob wrestling match of bargain shopping.

As the Winter comes in it is not enough just to be armed with coats, gloves. boots, hats and scarves. In the dark and hidden places are the pockets of poorness and despair that grip the world even worse than the season of ice. And galloping behind Santa's reindeer is a herd of vicious, mindless beasts whose only purpose is to destroy.

Those who claim the homeless refuse to work should not have their homes taken away from them by a compassionless bank. That sort of revenge would do nothing. The should be educated out of their prejudice. Those who say if you don't have a job it's your own fault should not be laid off from a secure position to walk the streets in this shaky economy looking for any nonexistent job. That sort of revenge does nothing. They should be educated out of their ignorance. Those who hoard their wealth should not be reduced to poverty. That sort of revenge would do nothing. They should be educated out of their greed. Those who rhapsodize about America being the greatest country in the world should not be forced to live in the places where it isn't. They should be educated to know those places are there.

For centuries, the world over, civil disobedience has been a powerful means for bringing down the tyrants. It helped to establish the labor unions which protected the working person from the tyranny of insecurity, exploitation and unfair and unhealthy working conditions. Civil disobedience brought about the Civil Rights legislation. It brought about the American and other revolutions. It has brought down monarchs and set up national self government.

So now the Occupiers of the world, risking safety, harm and their lives, are sounding "the watchword of reform" and, as usual, it is met by the strong arm of the tyrant. But, also as usual, it will be heard by those who are terrified by ignorance or guilt.

To pass safely through this Winter we need the armor of righteousness, honest endeavor, persistence and faith. We need the coats and hats that allow us to stand sturdily against the cold blasts of ignorance. And we need to never give up as we work for the "glorious morn.".

Let the culprits run and hide if they will ad leave the world for the real people to bustle in.

Dana Bate - Vagabond Journeys
Never Give Up
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Look here.

This is an invitation for anyone and everyone to post a entry of their own on my journal, Vagabond Journeys http://vagabondjourneys.blogspot.com/.

The end of the year holidays are soon upon us and since it is a time for celebrations, remembrances, resolutions and plans for the future I know that people have a lot to say.

Not to take away from the postings on your journals, but to add to the joy of my own celebrations is why I invite you to write for mine.

I want to read what your thoughts are about this magical time of the year. This invitation is open to everyone: Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Pagans, Agnostics, Atheists and the Uncertain.

Tell me your thoughts on Chanukah, Christmas, Ashura, Kwanzaa, the Winter Solstice, New Years Eve. or any subject you wish or associate with this holiday season.

There are no limits in regard to length. The only limitation is that, for reasons so far unexplained to me, my blog does not take photographs, animations, videos or pictures of any kind. I deal in words.

Please accept my invitation. Send your entry to my email address dbdacoba@aol.com I will copy and paste it into my journal and it will be displayed promptly. You may sign your name or not as you wish, and you may leave a link to your blog or your email or not, as you wish. I will do NO editing or censoring. Eloquence is not necessary, mind or heart or both is all.

I have 8 Guest Authors so far. Check them out. Can i hear from Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America? All are welcome. Admission is free.

DB
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Fight The Good Fight

He who wrestles with us strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skill.

Edmund Burke
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Hello Val
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Every time I step into the ring the warrior who faces me bears a striking resemblance to myself. He has the same gray hair and beard, but there is scorn in his eye and a snarl on his lip. He begins the fight by taunting me with everything he can think of that's wrong with me, hoping I will give up the fight before it starts.

"Look at you, you're a wreck. You stagger down the street with a cane. Your hip is so bad it's painful for you to walk. Stay home."

So I take the cane and walk the 4 long blocks to the store, stopping to rest at the only pocket park on my way. Sometimes it rains on me. I like the rain. It's Nature's christening, giving me a new name of hero to myself. When I return home with the package of good things for myself I climb the 3 flights to my chamber of hope and rest.

"Remember, Winter is coming. You're going to slip and fall and break your neck or worse. You'll be in the hospital before you know what happened."

Yes, I remember last Winter when I slipped and fell once, on the icy sidewalk. So I don my L L Bean winter boots and walk in the street which is plowed. I see the cars and they see me. The winter wind blows through my hair and gives me energy and spirit.

"You're eyesight is so bad you can't see anything. Stop reading. You're going to give yourself a splitting headache."

So I take my magnifying glass and read for hours, philosophy, history, biography, religion, psychology and science. I read with pleasure.

"You're so dense you never got a college education. You don't know anything. Stop trying to be a writer. You just can't do it."

So I sit here at the keyboard for hours and the words flow: 2 novels, a bunch of short stories, 3 published essays and over 1,300 entries on my journal. Having seen into the minds of great thinkers of the past and present, I humbly and gratefully offer my own words, in my native language and in my own uneducated way.

"You're an old man. Go fold up and let younger men take the field."

Men of any age are welcome to take the field but when they do they will find me there, standing as a banner for honest heroes.

"You're 72. You don't have any life left in you. You're heading for the grave."

I'm 72 and very much alive. What's 7 decades to an eternity? It's barely a beginning. I love my life.

Dana Bate - The Vagabond
Never Give Up
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AUTUMN QUESTION

What event over the past year changed your life, a lot or a little?

Only 3 answers so far.

dbdacoba@aol.com

I await your answers.
DB
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