Via Basel: Musings and Megaphones


Art by Ben Tolman

I sit down,

The mind empty and full,

The body calm and restless,

The soul heavy and light.

Perpetual motion in solid presence.

 

I dwell in the moment,

The present moment.

A most precious and wonderful one,

Yet fleeting, to be replaced

Perpetually by another and another..

 

Can this go on and on?

Forever, I mean.

Or must

It all come to 

An abrupt halt. 

 

I don’t have the answer,

Not today.

I get up,

And walk away.

 

The phone pings, 

A news alert

No, not again!

Not a shooting, but a supreme decision.

Now, I do have answers,

And opinions too.

 

A country where gun rights are more sacred than women’s, and votes don’t count when you lose: a time when facts, truth, and democracy are under assault is a harsh, desolate and cruel place and time to be in. Let us not pretend this just happened. This civil conflict has been raging on for decades, even centuries, and most of us, the majority, I mean, have been complacent, weak, apathetic, stupid, or all of the above. Without a massive grass root citizens movement, a youth uprising, and an unbelievable voter education, registration, and showing-up campaign, the future of our rights and health are in great jeopardy. This call to action from this small megaphone is only one way I will be fighting. I will not stop. Be alert for future bulletins.

Basel Al-Aswad, father of EIL founder Christopher Al-Aswad, is a yogi trapped in an Orthopedic Surgeon’s body. His loves in life include reading, writing, hiking, enjoying nature, meditation, and spending time with his large Iraqi family, and now, semi-retired, he is exploring new avenues in medicine, education, public speaking, and social engagement.

 




3 responses to “Via Basel: Musings and Megaphones”

  1. Joseph Kilikevice says:

    Well said, Basel. Ignorance ands apathy by choice afflicts us.

  2. Ramzi N. Nemo says:

    “When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle.”

    — Edmund Burke (Thoughts on the Cause of the Present Discontents, 1770)

    Also:

    “There is no reason why good cannot triumph as often as evil. The triumph of anything is a matter of organization. If there are such things as angels, I hope that they are organized along the lines of the Mafia.”

    — Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (Sirens of Titan, 1959)

  3. Mandy Steinmetz says:

    Love it dad. Thanks for fighting for us all.

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