Broken

That’s the title, the sentiment and the undertow.

Not just the broken system, but individual as well. I couldn’t buy a cough medicine without the intervention of a “cashier” (we ‘re de facto cashiers in our new era of pro-sumersim).

Fentanyl at the individual level, fantasy at system level. Why the trend toward Far Right? Has our memory failed us? Amnesia and Alzheimer?

Once I took up Hapkido – a blend of Aikido and Taekwondo. Mom signed the release form, paid up the tuition etc… uniforms, belt (white) and off I went, eagerly for my first day on the mat. The warm-up exercise, the slow-motion demo and of course, practice, practice, practice (Bruce Lee was correct in saying that he had no fear for occasional hits by opponents, but he feared most those who practiced the same kick over and over ).

A visiting Red-Belt stopped by our little outfit. Everyone lined up, bowed, then the Master held up high a 8×11 kick board. My classmates all had their yup cha ki high up. Until it’s my turn: back up, aim, run and jump. Mid air. I saw the Master reposition his stance (he was probably bracing for my obvious all-out attempt). By then, I had already set my aim on a lower position of the board. As a result, my right foot hit nothing but pure air (below the board). Talking about targeting and trajectory.

There was a saying we are all familiar with, both in the East and West: “the higher the climb, the harder the fall”.

That whole summer saw me convalesce – my covid lock-down rehearsal – at home, nursing a broken left arm. Friends felt pity and stopped by to sign on the cast. It was itching to say the least. Broken bone is one of the most painful experiences.

Talking about wise saying in the East. Since it’s a culture of shaming, of collectivism (handed me down since the day of Confucius), I would quote “when one horse is injured, the whole stud stop eating”.

Always be aware that one is watched in the East culture, not just neighbors and people of the same geographical circle. One’s relationship extends backward in time (lighting up incense) or “Chu di tam toc” (kill enemy’s 3 generations forward – to pre-empt a coup in the future) and assure a forever reign of then autocracy.

No wonder Marxism took hold in cultures which extol the virtue of harmony above all others.

The system vs the individual. Equity vs liberty. All that is currently challenged, debated and fought over. The sixties gave us Togetherness, the 70’s Habits of the Heart. Narcissism has no bound: shop until you drop. Me, me, me, me. Just me. Not you. Not us. Just me. Help me. Heal me.

When the Evangelical movement took hold of the doctrine “Priesthood of all believers”, it inadvertently played into the hands of Individualism, of personal faith and a personal God (incarnational theology). “God so loves the world” morphs into “God so loves Me”… Somehow the hand-me down Original Sin (collective sin), gets appropriated and absorbed into one’s personal life.

I take personal responsibility for my actions, under the Law. But I ain’t take the blame and guilt (or shame as in the East) for the in-action or wrong doing of others. The Social Security system and Tax code (from there, FICO scores) validated this social reality: we are individuals, with unique finger prints , DNA’s and intrinsic worth. Jail the individual, forgive the system however unjust (which wrongly convicted thousands in the first place)?

Individual liberty and freedom when went too far, left behind bodies and burned bridges. Who is going to clean up the mess when let’s say, you committed suicide? Parkland (produced partly by Tom Hanks ) touched on this. What happened right after JFK got shot? They needed a coffin to cover up the blood on his ripped white shirt, then they had to rip out Air Force One seats to accommodate JFK’s new seating arrangement ( ” We don’t ship the President back like a piece of luggage”).

Yes, each individual has dignity, however thin his/her wallet. Yes, we might have come about via a spark of the Divine. Yes, we need to love ourselves, to give ourselves to others, and find a solution that works for most of us (Climate Change, Covid and AI).

But each “theory” has its own challenges i.e. the End justifies the Means etc.. Mass extinction of human, of species and of the Earth itself. Individualism must have its limits. Collectivism must also have its limits. The FED needs oversight. So does the Supreme Court (the 9 are not our new Kings/Queens).

I long for the day when we can really talk, of issues that concern us all, Not trivial and procedural debates (at each fork on the road, it takes us further and further down the path of no-return. Down the hole. Hence, deeper divide. Hence, narrow or no compromises e.g. the Far Right in Spain or elsewhere).

I had a broken arm. It reminds me of ” the higher the jump, the harder the fall”. In crisis, there was opportunity (I got to see who my real friends were, since their signatures were on the cast).

I hope on the other side of Climate Change find us smelling a bit fresher and more willing to heal human division. That summer of my broken arm was hot. This summer, however, is the hottest. Still, I am grateful – that my arm is not broken this time. Only The weather that can use some convalescing and nursing back to health.