Capernaum

While yesterday's post was bleak, the titular film suggests not bleak enough. OMG this film. The plight of stateless refugees--exploited and abused from every angle. The plight of women and girls in male-dominated societies. The plight of unwanted children in a chaotic, crumbling, violent society. The star, a little boy with soulful eyes, is himself a Syrian refugee. Is his performance so powerful because of what he has seen in his short life?

Here's what's strange about my life. I wake up in a good mood every day. Partly attributable to having a good job and a puppy that makes me very happy. And I live in Northern Ireland. But I also am aware of the sad state of world affairs. The World Economic Forum in Davos was co-chaired by a man who has been in a refugee camp since he was one year old. He's 28. That is not uncommon. There is no plan for refugees other than to warehouse them. Which is soul destroying. Mental illness results from living with no purpose, no future. The Ethiopian woman in Capernaum, living on the margin, no papers, eagerly exploited--her story too is common in countries the world over. She is shown in jail with hundreds others like her, many trafficked for sex--while her toddler son is sold for purposes that are not made clear.

The depravity of people and the degradation of our planet are the twin ills of our time. Yes, there have always been people who are depraved and vicious to others. But the droughts, the fires, the floods are amplifying the number of people who are vulnerable--and the lack of a humane response.

More steet art:

Given the state of mind expressed above, I have to share a fantasy I created when I saw the image above (which was on the wall below). Maybe there's an underground army of street artists, and activists, and visionaries who have the whole thing figured out. Their crazy art contains codes that are going to set in motion the planet's salvation. There will be a global adjustment that resets the world for sustainable living--the people at the top are toppled and the masses at the bottom gain a right to some kind of existence worth having. Young people are so smart, can't they find a way where the grown ups have failed?

March 4-5