The Sounds of Silence [View all]

[H2O Man]

A water main breaks every two minutes somewhere in the United States. Many of these can be repaired with relative ease. But others create a more serious problem for those who depend on it for water. By no coincidence, these tend to be those in urban neighborhoods, that date back from approximately 1930 to 1955. The "life expectancy of the best of those pipes is 75 years.

There is a curious delay in most cities to repair these breaks, or replace the systems. This often involves differing opinions about if such projects should be funded by the city, state, or federal government, or any combination of the three. This has a negative impact on the residents of neighborhoods without water. The residents of such neighborhoods are overwhelmingly non-white human beings residing in "low-income" neighborhoods.

One would be justified in considering if repairs might be considered more urgent if it supplied a wealthy, white neighborhood. You might even go so far as to speculate that this alone is strong evidence of systematic racism.

Poverty, as Gandhi noted, is the worst form of violence.

An old friend called me, saying that he had never found an Indian artifact, asking if I could take him out where he might find one. I met him at the "walking trail" in the village he resides in. He assumed that this did not involve finding artifacts, so much as talking, when we began our stroll. The few other people out walking easily passed us -- two old men hobbling along with walking sticks -- as a light rain began to fall.

Bill was talking about how he, as a grandfather, was worried about the country's future. He is very happy that Joe Biden is president, but recognizes that the Trump cult is a growing threat to democracy. Has has "un-friended" about half the guys and gals we grew up with, because they are toxic. Likewise, he has cut off all communications with a number of family members.

"You seem to keep more balanced with the assholes," he said. "How do you manage that?" I said I usually just post youtube videos on facebook of the great musicians we were raised on. Even the cult members tend to like them. This leads to discussions -- not often "public" -- about how when we were young, we saw social injustice and tried to confront it. The older generations told us, "No! No! No! You're wrong" (especially when I was a boy, listening to John's "She Said, She Said&quot . But we had believed in something, just like this younger generation of Black Lives Matter." For, as Malcolm X taught, if you want people to act differently, you must first help them to think differently.

"Holy shit!," my friend said, as he picked up an arrowhead along the path we were walking. Soon, I picked up a mighty fine one myself, and we headed, slowly, back to our cars. History is right there, under our feet, in the earth.

On the ride home, up until when I started writing this, I have been thinking about the teachings of the Iroquois prophets, Sapling (circa 2000 bc), the Peacemaker (circa 425 ad), and Hiawatha (circa 840). In each of their eras, there was social strife and violence. I think about the hours that I spent talking about these things with Chief Waterman.

And I think about my late friend Rubin Carter's teachings. Today is his birthday, and I find myself wishing that I could talk to Chief Waterman and Rubin about the strange society I am inhabiting in my old age. Then I laugh, as I hear them saying, "We've already told you."

Peace,
H2O Man


"Silence is the true language of cosmic adoration." -- Gandhi