Cowboys and Indians

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In Those Days, everyone (even girls) played war games. We built forts to launch our attacks. In the summer, the forts were hidden along trails in the woods and during the winter they were made of snow and blended into the terrain of the frozen fields. From those forts, we would pounce on our enemy. We were always the good guys; cowboys, soldiers, pirates, and sometimes even crusaders. We shot arrows, fired cap guns, had catapults to hurl big snowballs, and sometimes used slingshots or even threw rocks at one another. But no one ever got hurt, except perhaps their feelings.

There were fights at school, but seldom did they amount to anything more than a wrestling match. We called them "rumbles" but nobody ever really got hurt. The losers went home crying, but their parents never called the police. Fathers taught their kids to fight and stand fast against aggressors and for what they believed in. There were no lawsuits, or children committing suicide because they got picked on. But Those Days became taboo.

Things are different today. 30 years of peace and toleration being rammed down our throats. Love your neighbor, never argue your point, but respect his views. Stand back. Don't fight. Tell your parents about how mean you were treated. Tell the cops how your parents or teachers mistreated you. Don't pick on sissies, fat kids, ones with braces, or glasses. Be nice.

Hide in your closets rather than standing publicly for what you believe. But you can play that violent video game using phazers that disintegrate rather than wound your opponent. Make yourself invisible as you begin a nuclear attack. That seemingly innocent suitcase transforms into a creature bent on destruction. Listen to the music praising rape and murder. Give your child a pill so he can cope. Take a pill yourself. Smoke that joint and inject the chemicals deep beneath your skin. Fight the war from within.

See no evil. Hear no evil. Speak no evil. Today, we don't know what evil is, let alone how to stand for what is right. Because we've been taught that everything is alright, and our world is better.

But is it, really?
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