A Fatal

Most of us have obeyed the rules, or at least tried to for the important moments of life,

My immediate domicile is shared with many others of my generation, Some fellow pilgrims do amazingly well as the years accumulate; others cope with dignity and serve as inspiration,

Recently, Covid and winter and yes, volatile politics have taken an emotional toll on many, including this writer,

And the word “anxiety” has crept more and more into normal conversations, invading peaceful luncheons and festive cocktail hours.

The “a” word frequents the newsprint (although digitally) in the three media sources I subscribe to daily.

And as I vaguely remember, other names that come to mind, (Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin,) I cannot help but question how humanity has allowed this to happen again,

Were we so complacent in our belief that we were making this complicated world a better place and innocently assumed there would be no more villains?

Did we not notice the growth of horror hidden behind another well constructed public image?

Once again as we tremble on the brink of annihilation, I wonder where did, not merely you or I, but civilization go wrong, and

why another manmade horror is happening again.

I wonder why we weren’t watching.

Or perhaps we were afraid to admit our own inability to control the inevitable,

And admit, we, too, are merely human.

And never have been, or will be more.

And perhaps that is the lesson, civilization is now being taught,

A fatal lesson in complacency.