#Priorities2014
By Mickey Z.
05 January, 2014
World News Trust
Photo credit: Mickey Z.
“You are responsible for the predictable consequences of your actions.” - Chomsky
The other day, I was walking down the street when I noticed a man sitting behind the wheel of a car, cursing and angry. His face was a mask of rage. I stopped and contemplated the source of his fury and assumed it was the militaristic tendencies of his country. Clearly, this man was fed up with half of his tax money being used to subsidize the most violent institution on the planet: the U.S. Department of Defense (sic).
Then I got a little closer and realized he was upset because someone had beaten him to a parking spot.
A few steps away, I spied a woman talking on a cell phone -- looking rather glum. Her face was a mask of distress. I stopped and contemplated the source of her sorrow and assumed she was overcome with angst over the factory farms, the veal calves, the battery hens, the human health holocaust, the hateful privilege of speciesism, and the fact that raising animals for “food” produces more greenhouse gases than driving cars.
Then I got a little closer, overheard her phone conversation, and realized the woman was upset because someone had surreptitiously un-friended her on Facebook.
On the next block, I passed another woman who appeared to be consumed with frustration. Her face was a mask of vexation. I stopped and contemplated the source of her exasperation and assumed it was America’s two-party farce, the barring of non-corporate candidates from public debates, the lies, the corruption, and the fact that a vote for either party is a vote for the same gluttonous, murderous culture.
Then I got a little closer and realized the woman was upset because her iPhone was low on power and she couldn’t find the charger.
I was almost home when I saw a man who appeared to be overwhelmed with melancholy. His face was a mask of gloom. I stopped and contemplated the source of his despondency and assumed it was, well, everything. Clearly, this man was overcome with depression in the face of global poverty, mass animal and plant extinctions, widespread slavery, gender inequality, and the fact that somewhere on planet Earth a human being starves to death every two seconds.
Then I got a little closer, saw he was reading the sports pages, and realized he was bummed because his favorite football team had lost the day before.
As Gandhi sez: “Action expresses priorities.”
#shifthappens
Note: To continue conversations like this, come see Mickey Z. in person on Jan. 11 at Bluestockings Bookstore in NYC.
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Mickey Z. is the author of 11 books, most recently the novel Darker Shade of Green. Until the laws are changed or the power runs out, he can be found on a couple of obscure websites called Facebook and Twitter. Anyone wishing to support his activist efforts can do so by making a donation here.
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