Finding the glimmers

As a child of the 70s our future was bright, so bright we had to wear shades. It was full of rockets and space exploration as the buzz of the moon landing continued to pervade my childhood years, spurned on by Star Wars and the promise of galaxies far far away…

It’s easy to question where our jetpacks are, why I’m not eating meals in pill form, and what ever became of space elevators anyway? We had dreams and hopes and aspirations all of which were to be manifest in many wonderous objects that would impact our daily lives.

It makes me wonder though, what do the youth of today aspire to? What do they dream for their future? Is the pinnacle of achievement now to be famous? Where are the inventors and dreamers? For all his haters, is Elon Musk really the leading light, the JFK of our time with a Mars-shot mission?

Or is it just too hard to dream anymore? Are our hopes pulled down to earth by the constant barrage of reality, writ large at every turn, unescapable horrors and tragedy abound.

The news delivers the usual stories of turmoil and hatred, death and destruction. Social media amplifies the worst aspects and our always on society ripples and rears up in reaction. Peer past the headlines and the future is laid bare, Atwood and Orwell nod wisely from the sidelines.

Russian cyber terrorists turn off the power to a city block. American journalists are chided from on high. Governments form around power and control, serving themselves and not the people. Brexit, Trump, ISIS, cyber-warfare. Anti anti anti.

Money the root of all, absolutely corrupting power, over-inflated egos target the disenfranchised, divide and divide. Them against us.

It’s hard to look away. Cars crashing over and over, the video loops, we stare and stare, we are numb, we are seemingly ineffective. Protest all you want, nothing will change. We are the endlessly silent majority, powerless against the feckless thugs that rule the world.

Bleak. Desolate times.

How can we dream?

How do we combat this endless, relentless, stomping down?

Can we push back? Can we retrace our steps and find a different way?

What are we missing as the world spins in a maelstrom of bedlam?

When all around seems so so dark it can be hard to find those small moments of beauty, of compassion, of love.

But they are there and the more light we shine on them the brighter they become. A smile between strangers, a flower between the paving stones, a shard of sunlight between the buildings, these things are timeless and can’t be captured by a glowing screen. Look around.

Look for the glimmers. They are always there. Sometimes they are hidden and you need to seek them out. Sometimes they are there in plain view if only you choose to see. Sometimes they make you stop, a slap in the face, the wakeup.

Beauty exists.

Love is real.

Compassion and care are the quietest noises but can build and build to a cacophony, a soaring roar of the masses that will push back. Me too, they said, and so it was. What’s next?

Raise them up, these wonderful moments. Elevate and amplify. Stand behind them. Stand shoulder to shoulder. Stand firm.

They are always there.

These magical moments of beauty and wonder.

The glimmers.