The Constant Struggle

[H2O Man]

“Constant Struggle -- that’s what America is all about. Is it not?”
-- Rubin “Hurricane” Carter; 1976


Democratic presidential primary contests remind me of championship bouts. Today’s event in Iowa is the first round in a long and difficult fight. Somewhere around the time that the late night becomes tomorrow morning, we should have an inkling of the official score of this evening’s round. And, by the time the sun comes up, the supporters of each of the three Democratic candidates will be interpreting the results in the most favorable light for their candidate.

I am hoping that the most important factor will be that there was a huge turn-out. Obviously, this should include young adults, especially those who will take advantage of this, their first opportunity to participate in a presidential primary. But I think that it is equally important that those people who have hesitated to participate in the past come out tonight, and make their voices heard.

Still, although I live in New York State, my exposure to people between the ages of 18 and 25 has been particularly encouraging. The vast majority of these young adults support Senator Bernie Sanders. More, they are fully aware that his message goes far beyond the need to win the nomination and the fall election: Sanders is calling for the transformation of American society.

I am impressed that these young adults are invested in working with their parents and grandparents to bring about that transformation; this is distinct from the infamous “generation gap” that created so much tension in, say, 1968 and ‘72. Indeed, this is an important part of the transformation that is beginning today, and is most visible in the primary season in the Sanders’s campaign.

Good luck to all three candidates. I intend that sincerely, although I do not subscribe to concepts such as “luck” or “coincidence.” It’s all about hard work and dedication, of being as fully prepared as one can be. And it is apparent to me that each of the three Democratic candidates is far better prepared to serve as president than any of the republican candidates.

Because I am convinced that Bernie Sanders is the most capable of leading in the transformation of our nation …..in the struggle for social justice …..on the path to higher ground …..I am hoping that he “wins” tonight. Regardless of the exact numbers, it is still but the first round of a long and difficult fight.

Constant Struggle: but that’s what true democracy is all about -- is it not?

Peace,
H2O Man

[daleanime]

1. K&R.....

[H2O Man]

2. Thank you!

[mmonk]

3. Yes, constant struggle seems to be the path forward

to any worthwhile advancement. Take the chance when opportunity gives it.

[H2O Man]

7. "Constant Struggle"

sounds hard. By human nature, we would prefer to have problems that we can solve, and then move on. But there are many problems that we can't simply "solve," but rather, we have to deal with them on an on-going basis. (That's human nature, too!)

What is evident is that, as hard as engaging in constant struggle will be, not doing so will exact a far higher price. More pain and suffering, more fear, hatred, and violence.

[tk2kewl]

4. to what do you attribute the inter-generational cooperation?

old hippies? wealth inequality? a more pressing urgency for change due to climate? these things and others?

[in_cog_ni_to]

8. Millennials have insane college debt and no decent jobs to earn the money to pay it off, boomers are

getting ready to retire or have just retired and see SS on the chopping block, the cost of EVERYTHING going up - food, medicine, insurances, utilities, etc...(which affects Millennials too!) which makes living on SS difficult for most and the Greatest Generation is in pretty much the same boat as Boomers are. They're all facing the same dim future if something doesn't give!
Everyone is one disaster away from catastrophe.

And, of course, without a major change in environmental policies, all future generations are pretty much doomed!

Those are the three generations in my household. Others may vary...

PEACE
LOVE
BERNIE

[tk2kewl]

9. muti-generation housholds

good point. i know even some friends of mine in their 40s who have been forced to move back in with their 70+ yr old parents due to lost jobs, divorce or death of a spouse

[in_cog_ni_to]

14. Last May, my sister and B-I-L moved in with us...came here from Virginia.

They both just took early retirement and moved here so we could all split the bills. It makes life easier for everyone instead of each household trying to pinch pennies to make ends meet.

So far, it's worked out extremely well! They have set up a little apartment in our basement. We split everything 50/50 - Utilities, groceries, repairs, large appliance purchases, etc. It's a win-win for everyone!

That's the retirement this country has given most. If you're fortunate enough to have a family member (s) who can and want to share expenses, IMCPO, you're lucky. I'm one of the lucky ones, I know. There's many, many seniors who have no choice and that's a travesty.

And then there's my Millennials 22 year old son who's in college...Big Bernie supporter!

PEACE
LOVE
BERNIE

[tk2kewl]

15. glad you guys get along and can help each other out

[H2O Man]

11. That's a great question!

I hesitate to even attempt to answer it, as I doubt that I'm adequate for the task. But I'll start, with the first thing that came to mind as I read your post.

Communication is huge. I'm thinking specifically of the relationship between my youngest daughter, and my aunt and uncle. My daughter is 18. She was, of course, horrified in October of 2014, when an off-duty law enforcement officer -- in a case of "road rage" -- shot my cousin and his son. In the time since then, my daughter has been as supportive as possible for my cousin and his family.

My aunt is 84, my uncle is 87. Just as my daughter supports them, they support her. And nothing is more important than the afternoons and evenings where they talk ....about the "old days" and current events. About values and social justice.

By no coincidence, this example also involves something that I've wrote about on DU:GD for years -- the need to re-define what "family" means. My daughters have zero contact with their three living grandparents. So great aunts and great uncles have taken on those roles. Just as in the past, all my children knew both Rubin Carter as "uncle" and Chief Paul Waterman as "grandfather."

Family systems are like mobiles hanging over an infant's crib. But we shouldn't allow rigid "rules" about what constitutes "family" to define our thinking.

I apologize, as at this time, I fully recognize that my attempt to answer your wonderful question is inadequate. But I'll be coming back to this.

[olddots]

5. I would rather be educated than entertained

Bernie is an educator .

[H2O Man]

12. Thank you.

I agree.

[Gregorian]

6. I guess I'm wearing brown colored glasses this morning.

I see this as a last gasp election. I see lukewarm response, from half of our party, with respect to a dire situation in this country. One that requires quantum change in order to restore some sense of humanity to the society.

Yes, it is only round one. So maybe I should go out for a walk, and just chill out. But H2Oman, we've waited over 40 years for this. And we had a Bush disaster in the meantime, which still isn't repaired by a long shot.

How does one retain a sense of calm when so much is at stake. I'm really good at putting real fires out. I've been in buildings on fire, and kept my head. This is another subject. It doesn't affect me: I've got a ranch overlooking the Pacific ocean. It's those who are poor and sick that need our help. They don't have another four years.

Ok, I've pretty much drained all of the comments out of myself. I guess the word to take with me is "constant". Maybe quitting isn't an option, and we will get new life into this party.

Thanks for your level headed synopsis of our situation.

[mmonk]

10. Look at it as a beginning instead.

[Gregorian]

16. Alright. That's really good advice.

I've had things in my life that have ended other people's lives. But I kept working, and emerged out of them. I guess the part that hurts is that years will go by while the suffering of poor and sick continues.

OK, we're all going to survive another day to work on this project America.

And we still have a lot of time left in this election. It's not even over yet.

[H2O Man]

20. Best answer!

[tk2kewl]

13. I completely understand

I try to listen to older wiser men

[Gregorian]

17. YES! We aren't alone in this.

I'm not alone. We're in this together. That truly helps.

After this much optimism, we're bound to feel some resentment and hopelessness if we don't succeed in this election. I'm one who gets down about these things, and need support in order to keep my head above water. This is good practice.

So we're in this together, and it's a continual fight. It's not an ending, but always a new beginning. And being defeated in attitude is not the proper way to approach this.

[tk2kewl]

18. i really do understand

i take many more turns towards despair than i'd like to admit. that's one reason why i joined a group of like-minded people at my local ethical humanists society. surround yourself with positive people, it helps.

[H2O Man]

19. Interesting.

I remember when I was a young adult -- back that 40 years you mentioned -- and was listening to Onondaga Faith Keeper Oren Lyons speak to a group of us young folk. And he talked about the concept of "time," and how different it was for an ant, a tree, and a mountain. From there, he talked about what we might reasonably expect from our time, if we made a dedicated effort to improve human society, within the natural world. He said that it was unlikely that any of us would live to see the much-needed efforts we would engage in bring about the results that we were working for, but that this work would build the foundation that the next generations would build upon.

As far as staying calm goes, I'm probably the last person who could give a valid answer on that. My early life likely caused me to be an odd person, along with the old DNA. I suppose that I feel anxiety sometimes, but only when things are utterly calm around me. But in times of great tension, I tend to relax. That proved helpful, first in boxing, and then in a social work career, where I responded to "crises" in the community.

[Gregorian]

21. Thinking of the future. We seem to have lost that.

I just did some reading, and saw the Trail of Broken Treaties. That does put into perspective the timeframe of the things we're discussing. As we talk about how to avoid a 2 degree Celsius rise before the end of the century, I have often asked why we are not talking about a thousand years, instead of 100. It's as if tomorrow is never going to come. People not caring about future generations, whether it's environmental, or whether it's financial. And to be honest, when it comes to politics, I have been concerned with today, and tomorrow will just follow. Thinking about tomorrow is something I don't do. I do my best today. I only have a small sense compared to Native Americans. They have endured the full brunt of this machine called America. To live with the broken treaties, and everything else, must be the pinnacle of stress. I never had a wise person to advise me. I spent much of the years since 1980 in fear and loathing. Maybe the world favors evil. I don't believe that. And I've always thought that we could obtain a great society with minimal effort. It could be that way. But it isn't, for reasons that are unacceptable to me.

So looking at our perception of time is part of the answer? I can see that our minds churn up all kinds of talk that may or may not be of value. Oren could be taken to be pessimistic, but I feel what he told you was realistic. And that does answer my question. I'm not satisfied with that answer. I don't like it. I see poverty, and it can be fixed today. Maybe he sees the evil that I don't see. Or maybe it's not even evil, but just another thought. One that doesn't share my sense of urgency. And who am I to say that my experiences add up to the truth? I try not to believe everything I think. I wonder why he said it unlikely we'd make changes that were visible within our lifetimes.

Well, I'm glad to hear that you're odd also. Odd is good. I'm the same way. When disaster strikes, I tend to be calm and happy. I get anxious when I am at someone's mercy who I sense as holding me back. That came from how I grew up. I thought I had outgrown that, but this primary brought that all back.

It's beautiful today. Breezy, cool, with crows loving the wind. I just went on a walk through the forest, and my friendly mother deer is finally free of her young one. I watched her, and her mother, and then her baby grow up.

Where are the wise ones in our society? Who is shaping our minds to be aligned with truth and nature?

[H2O Man]

28. You may remember this:

"We must seek out the spiritual people, because only this is going to help us survive. We have a great force -- a great brotherhood. This brotherhood involves all living things. And that, of course, includes us all. We are talking about the natural world, the natural force, all the trees, everything that grows, the water. That is part of our force.

"But when you gather spiritual force in one place, you also gather the negative force. We begin to perceive that now, the power and presence of the negative force.

"There is a great battle coming."
-- Oren Lyons


I've used this quote a few times over the years on DU. But I am certain that it fits more closely this season, on DU:GDP, than ever before, in the context of this forum. There's far too much negativity within the communications between good people, who should recognize that we all have more in common than separating us. Too many OP/threads are saturated with the negative.

[Gregorian]

31. True wisdom.

I yearn for someone who can teach me. And now that I think of it, I believe most of the people in this modern world are in need of that too. So bringing spiritual power together, also includes negative force. I need to know more. This is important to me.

We have a situation where humans seem to survive outside of nature. I watch the deer, and wonder if I could survive. I don't think so. And that is serious. I need modern society in order to survive? That seems pathetic. If we're this out of touch with nature, just how much out of touch are we with these spiritual forces? I honestly believe that the further we are removed from nature, the less capable we are at having the spiritual insights.

I wonder what the great battle will be. Perhaps we're seeing this in this election. Some see, and some don't.

I miss having a wise mind to share with and learn from. Now that I think of it, that's what Bernie is to me.

[Uncle Joe]

22. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, H2O Man.

[H2O Man]

24. Thanks, Uncle Joe!

[beam me up scottie]

23. K & R!. Good read, H2O Man.

[H2O Man]

25. Interesting ....

I think that at the exact time you were writing this, I was complimenting you on your contributions to DU:GDP!

[beam me up scottie]

26. I noticed the same thing and just mentioned it the other thread.

vimeo.com/121089202

[H2O Man]

27. I think it's important

that The Voices of Reason speak up!

[Arazi]

29. And climate change. Theres no time for pragmatic incrementalism

That needs dynamic, inspiring leadership now to turn this ship around

Great post and thank you!

[H2O Man]

30. Right!

In my OP yesterday, I noted that:

"Yet, even if we consider but one 'problem' -- climate change -- it should be evident that change is required. And not merely a few small changes. But real change."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12511104591

[antigop]

32. It's a damn shame the struggle is within the Democratic party. nt

[H2O Man]

33. True.

Absolutely true.

[mmonk]

34. +1

[H2O Man]

35. While the leading

republican candidate is advocating that his audience beat up anyone suspected of planning to throw a tomato. Seriously.