The Times Are A-Changin’

Last Updated on 2022-05-04 by Guy Taylor

The other day I was walking to an appointment listening to my music on my iPhone playing through my earpods and the song made popular by Bob Dylan which has become popular across the generational divide, The Times Are A-Changin’ covered by Fort Nowhere came on. A song which I find very apt considering the past two years that we, as humanity have had to face, from the goings-on surrounding the killing of George Floyd, regardless of what you think of the killing and whether it was justified or not. To the riots and other protests that were sparked globally by the occurrence which sparked a war and tensions against the thin blue line across the United States that may never be quelled, or maybe never is an exaggeration but definitely decades. It will take a lot of heart-to-heart community policing to get to any level of normalcy, for one it will take the political left to stop stoking these fires of aggression against law enforcement. 

Then to the global pandemic and the restrictions which ensued across the world which caused divisions and rifts between friends and families almost reminiscent to that of the American Civil War which pitted brother against brother, cousin against cousin, father against son, best friends against each other and so on. The parts that are merely different is that they weren’t killing each other in the likes of the battle fought at Gettysburg in July 1863. It is though the vehemently and often inherently toxic views that were sparked by unfounded and unrealistic conspiracy theories to genuinely well placed concerns and fears surrounding the almost draconian measures on mask and vaccine mandates that were imposed or proposed by some governments. Such as the almost dictatorial actions of Justin Trudeau taken against Canadians during the peaceful Freedom Convoy protests in Ottawa that you would expect to happen in countries like Zimbabwe and not a country which usually leads the way in human rights and has done so since way before human rights were even a thing.

And in more recent events the war in Ukraine which has sparked fury around the known world, from nations and the common citizenry to organizations such as the United Nations and NATO member countries which have almost alienated Russia. And whilst that war wages families, friends and communities continue to be torn apart by a senseless invasion that continues to make less and less sense as events continue to unravel. With thousands of people continuing to be killed, women violated and their husbands shot in front of them. People displaced in their millions by the actions of a lunatic who has no morality, who has no idea that there is  no nobility in this. But I am sure the fundamental question of when will it all end plagues our individual thoughts daily. Of course the biggest concern and wonder here is if this will escalate into yet another global conflict which will all but wipe humanity out. I am sure this is something which we would all like to be avoided.

I sit back most days and wonder what Vladimir Putin was expecting when he invaded Ukraine. Did he expect the world to heed his threats and take them lying down entirely and just let him continue without any ramifications? But just as Ukrainians have vehemently rejected and opposed his actions by way of staunch resistance the world has rightly taken its stance against him. But as I feel for the people of Ukraine I equally feel for the ordinary Russians who did not want this war, from all walks of life  and were opposed to the invasion from day one and if they protest the protesters are met with almost instant action by Russian police. A sight and action that I am almost too familiar witnessing…

{anyway, I’m drifting, let me get back on track}.

I have never in my life not only never expected to see the world in this state, from both within social media but in communities and societies outside of social media. I never for one minute expected to see society as divided as it is. I never expected to see people tear their own families apart simply over differences in opinion, simply because it has become so embedded in our thought processes that one’s opinion is more deserving than that of another. Where on one hand both opinions are informed and well worth discussing or debating whereas on the other both opinions are ignorantly founded and not worth entertaining but yet one or both parties will ridicule the other because they are of the notion that we are all deserving of our opinion, whether true or untrue. This has become the society we have come to live in and I fear it is only bound to get worse.

Of course I don’t see humanity unifying under one banner any time soon, humanity has unfortunately changed its course far too much and continues to change where we are at a point where if there was ever a time where we need to come together it is now for the sake of humanity and for the sake of all of our lives. Humanity needs to collectively stop, look at one another and realize that we need to come together, we need to stop this madness. We cannot afford to remain divided, as local communities, as neighbors, as an international community and as friends and as family. For the sake of not only our lives but more importantly for the generations after us.

George Floyd is not a reason to remain divided, COVID and our individual belief systems and what we decide to do or not to do is not a reason to remain divided. This division needs to end and it needs to end now, for all of our sakes.