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This week a student protest in England about tuition hikes and cuts in university funding turned ugly. Caught in the violence and mayhem was Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall- Camilla. It must have been terrifying, I'm sure none of us would like to find ourselves in a similar situation and clearly security dropped the ball. Thankfully nobody was killed and injuries were minor in comparison to what looked to be a hell of a clash.
None the less, I find it so hard to support any cause that results in violence. I know it takes only a few individuals who have an agenda to take a peaceful march to the next level but what pains me is the potential for a decision to be made that could have ruined a young persons life. These constraints right now feel harsh in the eyes of England's youth but if somebody had of been permanently injured or killed by their hands, that comes with a lifetime of problems.
There is no logic when it comes to these things, just raw emotion. Destruction of property, violence against others and being caught up in the mob mentality that has emerged from frustration and anger. So much comes at those in attendance so quickly, I wonder if the mind has really any time to process? Even those with originally good intentions of peaceful protest now find themselves in the middle of a riot.
What was accomplished? Does someone who instigates or escalates these types of protests feel good about their deeds when they go home or sit in jail? I think so. Their minds are so consumed with their own measure of success in this matter they can't possibly compute the true cost.
There is no compassion for and solidarity with fellow protesters instead it becomes a very individualistic drama played out with no real gain. This quote by Mahatma Gandhi therefore seemed appropriate: " Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary." This is what it feels like to me when protests turn ugly, a defeat for those involved.
We are at a time in history where Governments are struggling because of poor decision making, an inability to see the future with eyes wide open, corporate con artists who hijacked systems and ill advice. Humans fail and many who are left with or helped make the mess are attempting to make the bleeding stop world wide. The fact is, they are going to make more mistakes, they are going to work through them and we are going to come out on the other side. Not through stabbing each other in the back, not through violence and not through shifting the blame outside of self.
If I track my own life decisions and hear the stories of others, it rarely was the Government that let us down. It was our inability to do right by ourselves. To use the services that were provided responsibly and prepare for our future without the expectation our government should pay. It was the lack of life skills and work ethic that had us scrambling to figure out our way in the world and allowed for the unscrupulous to take over. We failed to use of our intellect over our emotion to see the real picture and not the scenario we conjured up like some bad dream.
Nobody owes us nothing! We fix ourselves, educate ourselves, prepare for ourselves and if we are lucky we give to others so they can do the same. We can protest when we know we have truly done all "we can" to do right by ourselves, family and country and still the helping hand was not extended. Not because the trough ran dry and we feel entitled.
