A Fairy Tale for 2017 and Beyond
Once upon a time, in a land not so far away, there lived a man who decided to become King. He ruled his subjects, not with compassion and empathy, but through fear and division. He surrounded himself with only the wealthiest, and with those willing to follow his rules, even though those rules flew in the face of history and justice.
His fame spread rapidly, not just in his own country, but worldwide. Fables abounded. Tales with no substance. Mis-information and fake news became the norm. And the people read and wondered. Some did not question, but many did. Word spread from person to person. Nuggets of truth were pulled out of the wreckage. And something stirred in the hearts of many.
Womens’ rights disappeared with a stroke of his pen. Not just the rights of those women in his own land, but far reaching to those in countries where the injustice towards women was barbaric. Those who sought refuge were turned away, families separated. Those trying to return home were barred from entering. Government programs designed to help his people were slashed. And so it continued, more and more with each passing day.
Yet, out of the turmoil, there were rumblings from his subjects. People rose up in peaceful protest, banners held high. Citizens of other countries joined with them and stood up for the rights of fellow humans. Time and again they rose, their hearts wide open.
Then corporations, suffering damages themselves, started to weigh in. People saw ways to support the corporations by buying their goods and spreading the news. Groups came together, communities of people found common ground, and something was stirring deep below the surface.
Foreign dignitaries were insulted but reached out to other foreign dignitaries and suggested solidarity, negotiation, and cooperation. Politicians, business people, famous people, authors, and news people; more and more they added their voices. You can’t fight hatred with hatred, they realized. Hatred would take them down to the very level that they were trying to change. Only by rising above would they succeed.
People reached out to each other and to those in need. Words written, songs sung, gatherings to grieve together, and gatherings to celebrate all that is good in the world. Messages of hope appeared. And the crowd grew in size, ever bigger. People from all over the world came together and they built a new way of being based on compassion, empathy, understanding, cooperation and the desire for a better life for all. They worked together to resolve conflict, peacefully, and through negotiation. There was much celebrating throughout the world.
The would-be king yelled and screamed and raged until his voice was spent.
And the people lived happily ever after in the light of the New Dawn.