I Long For A Better World

[Michael]

In 2006, I wrote an OpEd piece for an online news/oped outlet for which I was an assistant editor. The outlet is, strangely enough, called OpEdNews. I kind of got the idea for the format from Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. In no way, shape or form do I believe that my piece is even in the same universe, let alone the same zip code, as Dr. King’s speech. My OpEd piece is entitled “I Long For A Better World”.

I’ve produced 10 CDs which haven’t sold much – an understatement if there ever was one. On the last track of my latest album, I recorded “I Long For A Better World” as a spoken word “song”; the very same oped piece with musical “accompaniment”.

I’m not trying to sell anything here. It’s not necessary that you know the title of that or any other of my albums. However, here is the 10 minute and 42 second track still entitled “I Long For A Better World”. The lyrics are here as well. I hope you’re a little bit inspired by this piece or, at the least, you enjoy it.

CKA,
Michael

“Fervor is the weapon of choice for the impotent.” - Frantz Fanon

World Conditions and Action Items

ps Well, I am trying to sell a little something here. I wouldn’t mind selling the talents of the young lady who leant her voice to this piece. Her name is Halley Crast and I hope you hear good things about her in the future.

I Long for a Better World

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I wrote the following for every human being who would humble me by hearing me out.

I realize that is a fraction of a fraction of all humanity, but it may be, if I’m graced, humanity just the same.

I’ve often wondered why I’m so obsessed with injustice. I’ve often wondered why I’m so passionate when it would be so much easier to be oblivious.

It dawned on me.

I long for a better world.

I long for a day when those who possess more than most of us could ever dream of will begin to share their riches with those who struggle and can only dream of possessing the basic necessities of life.

I long for a day when people accept spirituality in one of two ways.

I long for a day when those who don’t believe in spirits at all realize that this is the only life and the only world they will ever know and that they must use this life to make this world a much better place than they found it.

I long for a day when people of faith, people who believe in a spiritual world, people who believe in a higher power, a Creator, cease to believe in the creator of the books, cease to believe in a vengeful creator, a jealous creator, a murderous creator, a creator who commands its very own creations to set upon one another in death and destruction, especially on its own behalf.

I long for a day when people who believe in a Creator believe in a Creator whose intent was for its creations to exist without war and destruction, from beginning to end.

I long for a day when such beliefs birth tolerance;

tolerance among those whose skin pigmentation produces hues of appearance which significantly differ from one person to another;

tolerance among those whose language and culture of ethnicity differ dramatically;

tolerance between genders so that each gender looks upon the other with total respect and equality;

tolerance towards those who love, cherish and honor another human being to the point where the two human beings wish to spend their lives together and share those lives, no matter the race, ethnicity or gender of either of the two.

I long for a day when all people everywhere realize that earth is finite.

I long for a day when all people everywhere appreciate the gifts that earth has given us.

I long for a day when all people everywhere realize that the entity earth has needs as well.

I long for a day when all people everywhere give back to the earth, if in no other way, by realizing that earth is finite and belongs to every creature which travels upon it.

I long for a day when people realize that life is a process.

For all of recorded time, humanity has had its eye on the goal, the finish line, the prize. It has either not paid attention to nor cared about the process used to reach that goal.

Subsequently, the process has been trampled upon and flawed and filled with destruction.

Consequently, when the goal was reached, it was not sustained.

Throughout recorded history, there have been communities that have lasted for many years, but, by far, the greatest communities have failed. The greatest communities are no longer with us. They all ultimately failed.

I long for a day when humanity keeps its eye on the process and that process contains everything for which I long.

If humanity is more attentive to the process which contains everything for which I long, it will reach a goal and that goal will be called Peace.

Peace is giving and accepting.

I doubt I will see Peace in my life time, but maybe, just maybe if we all long for it with the intensity needed and we are acutely attentive to the process, a generation someday in the future may experience worldwide Peace for the first time in the history of this planet.

That goal will be sustainable.

That goal will never fail.

We long for a better world.
Please tell me sisters and brothers
We long for a better world.
what are we doing to each other?
We long for a better world.
There’s got to be some kind of revolution
We long for a better world.
to restart evolution.
We long for a better world.
Please stop taking us backwards.
We long for a better world
Please stop saying those hate words.
We long for a better world
The world has got to get better
We long for a better world.
if we only try and try and let her,
We long for a better world.
We’ve got to, got to be willing
We long for a better world.
to stop, stop all this killing.
We long for a better world.
Don’t need to, need to hate no one.
We long for a better world.
Don’t need to, need to own a gun.
We long for a better world.
Got to stop hating each other!
We long for a better world
Got to stop hating each other!

[Arcadia]

I love how this song-poem-program was made!, form & content play wonderfully in it!. Gracias for sharing it with us, Michael!!!!!