Stirring an awe

“Is there anything in this world today that could cause your awe?”

Audrey was shocked at the essay question laying before her. It certainly managed to prompt her into thinking hard and in that alone it was successful.

But was there truly anything in this 21^st century that she could say still surprised or even shocked her?

In a period that has seen almost everything – from peaceful and violent revolutions, to deadly wars, to climate change, to drugs, sex and alcohol, to liberalism in every sense, to more rights for all, to the rise of various communities, to technological advancements beyond belief, and to space explorations, what would you say continues to amaze you?

Audrey wrote down one word.

“Humanity”.

And explained: Precisely in this period that has seen it all, discovering that people still retain some form of humanity and emotion inside of them is what would cause my awe. Seeing that they care for those who can do nothing for them in return – animals, paupers, homeless people. Witnessing random acts of kindness that occur out of the goodness of people’s heart, without anticipating any favours in exchange. Small gestures that may brighten up someone’s day: allowing someone to pass in front of you in the supermarket queue if they only  have a couple of items to pay; smiling and saying ‘goodmorning’ and ‘have a nice day’ while serving; offering a glass of cold water on a hot day.

This is what would cause an awe, because at a time when we have become so used to having it all, we have become so accustomed to losing ourselves in the process, together with the little things that truly matter.

 

Also part of Daily Prompt: Awe

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Welcome to the Middle Ages, 2013

So, what seems to be the biggest problem during this past decade?

Is it famine?

Is it poverty?

Or is it politicians?

Is it empty promises that lead to nothing? Austerity policies pushing for more cuts, lower wages, and a soaring unemployment that simply cannot be controlled?

It’s all of the above. It’s the bad handling of policies by a group of people whose only concern was to take care of their own lives. And now, leaders from all over the world are gathering every so often, in one bustling city or another, in order to, as they proclaim “find ways to combat” youth unemployment, or the recession, or the financial crisis in general.

What no one admits though is that we live in a 21^st century, that all the more looks like the Middle Ages. In order to survive, you have to already have money. You have to have a financial capital behind you so that you can go out and look for a job, and afford to take on two, three, even five internships at minimal (or even absent) pay, before landing a full-time job.

You have to have the professional experience and skills for permanent employment simply in order to get an unpaid traineeship.

And what’s worse: everyone expects you to be grateful for it. For simply offering you the experience. Or simply because you have a job – no matter how badly paid that is, how many hours you work, how exploited you are.

We live in an era were only the wealthy survive. The middle class does not exist. And the lower ranks are ignored.

We live in a society where in the midst of an economic crisis and in a state on the verge of default, bankers and civil servants have the audacity to demand bonuses and higher wages, when the private sector employees are sacked without even compensation.

And then, the very people whose debauchery and later recipe of austerity led to this very situation, are the ones who declare that unemployment will be reversed if the same policies continue, with a few structural reforms for good measure. Reforms that further lower people’s living standards.

People ruling, or rather, the ruling elite, live in their own gilded towers, in a bubble. They fail to understand the concerns of the “ordinary folk”. They fail to walk in their shoes, because they have elevated themselves so far up that they have lost touch with it all. And if a politician has no contact with his/her “polis”, the people who elected him/her, then s/he loses all credibility. And all you have out there is just another selfish “official” only aspiring for more (personal) power.