Last edited Fri May 14, 2021, 02:12 PM - Edit history (1)
JANUARY 6, 2021 – THE DAY FANTASIES, ILLUSIONS AND DELUSIONS
CAME TO LIFE
By Al Garcia
I remember the days of my youth -- the days before the shadows began to shroud my innocence and my simplicity and duplicity. The complexity of my thoughts overwhelming my blossoming curiosity and awareness of my singular appeal and fascination. It was the time of the awakening of a stranger within that dared to exist. And I was young and naïve, and alone in a crowd of strangers disguised as those who cared.
It was during this time of inquisitiveness, questioning and captivation with the world around me that my mind was filled with the reality of our American heritage, and the genuineness of our legacy. It was growing up along the Rio Grande as a brown-skinned descendant of immigrants seeking to breathe free, and yearning to live under the magnificent brilliance and allure of hope and expectation that the American dream aroused in the minds of common people, with common illusions and dreams, that instilled in me my pride, my appreciation, and my allegiance to this great nation, even with all its faults, blemishes and flaws.
It was during this blossoming of my mind and intellect when I began to understand with some gratitude, the significance and magnitude of the providence of my life among the palm trees, pastures, and green lush fields in this Valley along the Rio Grande, in a country envied and revered around the world. And it was during the many years and seasons that have passed, that I learned the true meaning of what it meant to be a true American and a patriot.
I learned that to be an American, meant having compassion and empathy toward my fellow man. I learned that true patriots embrace ideals and ideas that inspire and motivate the human heart. I learned too well that there are times when the innocence of our youth is asked to sacrifice on blood-soaked fields of human arrogance and hate. I, like too many others, learned the price of freedom the hard way, through national and international conflicts, and even war. I learned, and I realized, the magnificence of our ever-growing and evolving nation.
So, how strange it was to have witnessed the madness on display on January 6, 2021 in our nation’s Capitol. To have seen deranged and unhinged faces in a maddening crowd. To have heard the muddled and befuddled words of irrational minds enflamed with rage and hate. To have felt the pounding heart of a nation standing on the abyss of suicidal madness. That was my moment of despair and of anguish for the very nation that had nurtured and nourished my heart, my soul and my mind.
And as I watched in horror and dismay, I wondered if I really knew myself, or those I saw betraying the very soul of us. Had I heard too early the rhythm of the blowing winds of time that beckoned me to accept the naturalness of us? Could others have seen behind the masks and ridiculed or exposed the hatred and the rage that laid beneath the warped and twisted smiles I now saw betray the dream we used to have? And I watched and shed a tear, as I sat alone, as the breathe of me kept wanting to remember the magnificent brilliance and allure of hope and expectation that the American dream aroused in the minds of common people, with common illusions and common dreams. I wanted to feel the pride, the appreciation, and the allegiance to this great nation that I thought we all shared, despite the faults, the blemishes, and the flaws of our nature and inclination.
I have learned too well how time betrays and deceives the confidence and certainty of loyalty and fidelity. For on January 6, 2021, I saw how fantasies, illusions and delusions of the human mind can corrupt and destroy the legacy of truth and of hope, leaving only remnants that remind us of who we were, and hidden memories of the nation that once inspired the world.
Despite the face of evil and of hate that I saw and felt on January 6th, I also glimpsed the shadows of who we once were, and I felt the shared passion and the longing of those who still believe in dreams, and in whom the love and lust still burn the ambers of unlived dreams of better days to come.
I am the child, the boy, the man that felt the rage of having witnessed the infamy of the evil that dwells within. Yet I am also the child, the boy, the man who still believes that our American Dream is filled with promise and with hope. I will remember the deception, the emotional betrayal and the physical pain of what occurred on January 6, 2021, and I will never forget the faces and the names of those who betrayed our trust and our confidence. However, like the patriots and heroes of our past, I will mask my insecurity and the disquiet that occurred, in layers of ageless memories and unshed tears.
Too many have become the creation of unholy design -- disguised and hidden beneath fantasies, illusions and delusions that keep alive inside their muddled minds the unrealities of a world gone mad. But we shall continue to walk together toward the magnificent brilliance and allure of hope and expectation, despite the fears and unshed tears that time has left behind.
But most of all, I want the new generation of American youth to remember the days of their youth -- the days before the evil shadows they saw on January 6th – the days before their innocence and their simplicity and duplicity is destroyed by counterfeit patriots and fabricated lies. I want their curiosity, fascination and awareness to blossom and grow, and awaken the spirit of our American heritage and our courageous legacy.
The frightening thing is, that there are still those among us who excuse, support and sanction the words, the acts and the violence. Have they no shame?
God bless America, the land that we love. Let us stand beside her, guide her and protect her. Let us not abandon the dream.
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