My Prayers for the Stolen

It's a cold January 1^st, 2015, this morning here in Dayton, Ohio, USA, and quiet. But there was a lot of celebration around the city in the middle of the night – fireworks, simple noise, etc. - as the clock passed to a new year.

I was half asleep at the time, so I was closely aware, both subconsciously as well as consciously, of the feelings of the people around me who hope for a better world. It was quite moving for me, in view of my increased awareness of just how deeply set the backwardness and barbarity are, especially in the case of what is widely called “the elite.” I had just finished reading Jennifer Clement's book, “Prayers for the Stolen,” before I went to bed.

There is no comparison, not even close, between the harm of the crime of the elite and that of ordinary people. Yet the elite's harm would not be possible if ordinary people did not consent to it, either passively or even actively. That problem will continue, I see, to be there during this coming year for me as centrally as it has been for many years in my past.

I have noticed in the last year or two that the problem has been mentioned, however briefly and ineffectively, in some films like “The Hunger Games,” for example, and some relatively popular writings on “economic inequality.” The problem has been acknowledged forever, of course, but I think there is some hope that the awareness that something can be done about it may grow!