Mavis's Melting Pot

Death Stalks From Dawn To Dusk. Are We Powerless To Stop It?

What a horrible title this is and yet, although it makes me very angry and very sad, it is a very true description of what is happening around the world.

So what are we all going to try and do about it? I do not mean tackle individuals or groups in a way that puts us, and our families at risk. I would never advocate that!

But, do we feel powerless to do anything?

I wrote "Turn Black Night To Day"  at 02.00am (UK time) today. I just could not sleep. I was tossing and turning and all I could see when I closed my eyes were floating faces of people I did not know and had never met. I could not see any features clearly they were indistinct, even misty and surreal; but what had bought them to my mind was only too real and again I will ask what am I, and what are you prepared to do about the situation?

Yet again there has been a gunning down in a university in the USA. The fourth in the last week and the fifth in the last ten months. I wrote a poem "Gunned Down at School"  four years ago after a very shocking incident in which students and teachers were killed. I cannot believe that it is still possible for a gun to be taken onto premises where precious young people are innocently studying to give themselves a better education and future. Why is it so easy to kill them? How is it possible? Why? What is being done to screen everyone to ensure that weapons can never be taken into an educational premises. What is every parent, every grandparent and every fellow student going to do about it?

In the UK there have been many senseless deaths. Twenty-one teenagers have been stabbed or shot since the new year. One was just because he lived in a particular street. Death by post code!

A young father was killed when his son came home and told his dad that a neighbour would not let him have his ball back. He went to ask them to return it to his son and one of his neighbours buried an axe in his skull! He died in front of his family.

There are stories every other day; a man with a young wife and children went to ask a 'child' to stop urinating on his car and a crowd of youngsters beat him to the ground, with anything that came to hand, and killed him.

I could go on and on, but I won't. All these deaths are pointless. What has happened to our communities. Many people are terrified of venturing out at night because their local streets are ruled by hooligans. If this is happening near you, are you going to let it continue? Are we really going to live ruled by fear and mob rule?

Of course there are wars, real wars where many are needlessly dying, but soldiers are killing in the name of freedom , aren't they? If we do not agree with what is being done in the name of justice, or do not believe that it is in the best interest of the country/countries involved are we speaking out about it? Are we writing to politicians? Are we making our protests heard in a constructive way?

Deaths by the million are happening in third world, poverty stricken countries through disease, starvation and squalor. One in four children in some countries do not live to see their fifth birthday. What is the cause? Simply, easily preventable, easily treatable diarrhoea.

Aids and HIV related illnesses are wiping out more millions and leaving as many children again, orphaned and at risk. Populations are being decimated.

I do not mean to preach; but I do mean to make you think! Maybe you will start to feel as angry as I do. Maybe you will not be able to sleep either, until you ensure that we do not all sit feeling helpless or powerless and yet do nothing.

If one person, say me, does one thing, I won't achieve much, I may help one person or a small group. I am but one drop in the ocean of life. But if we all find a way to make a stand, then all of us, all the drops, can form a river and that river will flow into a sea and then perhaps all together we can stand up to bullies and dictators and overcome the evil that exists in the world and become truly free!

At the very least we can talk to each other and make sure that we discuss how we think we could make change happen. Who better to start the ball rolling than the wonderfully gifted writers on writing.com? If we can't write thought provoking items that make people start reading, about and discussing the issues, who can?

So I repeat one last time, what are you going to do? TODAY!