By definition, blindness is when you cannot see. But there is another blindness: when you choose not to see – and it is that second blindness that worries me, when we see trends and notice habits that we know will lead to destruction and pay no attention to what we see.
Nothing seems to be our business until it affects us personally and we, through loss and sorrow, want justice or need our concerns to be addressed.
It also baffles me when I see things that should be noticed by authoritative persons and yet no action is taken.
Few people would like to go blind, but for some unknown reason everybody turns a blind eye. Most causes have an effect and in the same way that food for some is poison to another, the same relates to the satisfaction of one person taking vengeance usually ends-up in sorrow to another.
We hear of the problems, we see the outcome, yet we talk, or critique the situation, but will not stand-up on the side of right. Nobody wants to be fingered, nobody wants to be associated with the problem, everyone is protecting themselves and because of this new blindness, nobody cares to see, or bear witness, or make a complaint, or admit to the wrong.
This trend is very common in people who have been raped, or molested. They are aware that wrong has been done to them and in most cases they know and see the culprit every day, but are too ashamed to comment, or make the situation known, or take a stance. We rather suffer in private, or become vain, or bitter inside and stifle such emotions, because it is the norm to keep that hurt inside.
There is also the question of disbelief as in when daughters report incidents or patterns of abuse to their Mothers, or other responsible people, and they are accused of lying, in some cases even ridiculed, especially where the mother is involved with or economically or financially dependent on the perpetrator.
There is also the ‘doing nothing’ attitude among law enforcers, not caring to follow-up on complaints, simply because they couldn’t care less of another’s plight.
The hush-mouth, say-nothing type of adopted lifestyle is what has emboldened criminals, as well as not making law enforcement officers do their jobs and enforce the laws.
There are also situations when lawyers defending such criminals seem to have more power in the justice system, as well as being skilled in ensuring that their clients go free.
Opposition parties looking to become governments frequently talk about all the ills of the incumbent government and how they will deal with these concerns, if they become elected; how they will put an end to such practices, or put a dent into corruption. But sadly enough, if they do get elected, when the shoes are on the other foot, the same injustice and hideous crimes continue and the new grabbers wait in line to take their turns to grab at the national purse.
There is a saying: “If good people do nothing worst will continue.” That makes me believe that all the good are dead, or have migrated, or have changed their values.
We seem to be living in a corrupt mess, where we are all the same with no exception, and this is the code of living for today’s life. All the laws and policies for governance are hogwash, all the parliament’s decisions are crap, and survival is about doing your own thing, with no boundaries, restrictions, or considerations.
If this is the new reality, then I see a very grim future, with COVID taking its toll and millions perishing, wars and terrorism taking their share too, as well as Global Warming — all will also take their different shares of our lives, while many of us will die by the gun, or suffer the consequences of our inaction.
Hope seems to be a million miles away and praying for a solution is a figment of our imagination. The cost of life has become cheap and valueless, and no one is trustworthy — and no one to tell your troubles to, because nobody cares, each one is for themself and the fittest will survive and “choo mak’ for the weak, the depressed or the unfortunate amongst us.
Sad but true, we look and watch but only see what we want to see and I fear it is this closing of our eyes to everything happening around us, just because we don’t want to see, that will eventually really blind us to the fact that we can really see!
Meanwhile, while those of us who can see play blind, the real blind people in the National Council for the Blind and Visually impaired just this past week announced they successfully held their first national general meeting by virtual means, online.
Lord Help Us!