How to write a memoir about difficult times
I’ve had this question from Julia. I would like to write a nonfictional account of my experience as a caregiver of my 80-year-old mum during lockdown. I’ve never done any creative writing. Where do I start? A diary, a memoir? I’ve been through a lot of struggle and want to put that on paper. Maybe […]
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When I asked for January topics the basic response was "keep them coming", without many references to topics.
The great division in or country today made me reflect on my years of traveling to probably more than 50 counties Spain during the repressive years of Franco. Argentina in the waning years of the Peron dynasty, where I constantly had Tom my guns shoved in my face, asking for identification and had an armed guard on the balcony outside of my room, Russia, shortly after the Communist nightmare, where an old woman from the Ukraine showed me a field where a million "Kulaks" died of starvation, Iraq, where shoe-less sales people wanted to export footwear (some incidents were funny), Yugoslavia (I sued the country….it's in my book), where apparatchiks had to ride with us wherever we went, Macedonia where the repression was rampant, Malta where they invited you for meeting but didn't show up because if was a holiday, Italy where the Communist rally was run by the owner of the Mercedes dealership, and you didn't have to pay taxes, but if you put in a door in your office without permission in Florence, you went to jail, Thailand, where they gave away condoms upon leaving the restaurant, Burma where you could visit the stench of Opium Dens, England, where if you had an appointment in factory you had to wait until they finished their "tea time", The Philippines, where I was almost arrested (or worse) because I was friend with the President's brother (also in my book), Viet-Nam, before the war, where we saw what was coming, Brazil (which I loved), where the military carried me out of a government meeting because my speech was about their economic policies, and many other places. The point being that whenever I came back to my beloved country, with it's faults and deficiencies I was always thankful that we didn't have the repression and hypocrisy of the countries I had returned from.
I sadly now feel that we are coming into an era that will turn a once great nation into repression, immorality and deep decline, we will fall into the "Fall of the American Republic". It is my view that both parties are at fault. The Democrats for veering from a Liberal perspective to the vileness hypocrisy and craziness of the far left and the Republicans for their weakness, selfishness and divisiveness. Like industry, politics, academia, the media is interested in self-preservation. That means that journalism ethics bows to the selling of news is based often on sensationalism, gore and conflict. It has veered to the left for many years but now it distortions and slanting has become for the most part dangerous to our nation. Many have gotten a slanted view of what is really going on, because they see one sided view and either don't know or don't care to do proper research. This aid and helps the "Far Left" win its battle, and it helps them distort reason, common sense, ethics and even law. Their hypocrisy is glaring. They use tactics from the Bolshevik days, where Workers became the by word even though what was cared about was pure power over the people. The left cares no more about blacks, other minorities, homosexuals, transgenders or people in general than the Bolsheviks did about workers. The sad Left also wants us to forget and erase truth, history and the good that our nation stands for. This powerful force has already affected many lives and some if not many who have committed crimes against our nation and its people will never see the bars on a cell in prison. Sadly, the Covid-19 almost Biblical plague may have had more effect on the election that the so-called outright fraud, in that legislatures were able to change the election laws making it far easier for distortion and illicit balloting. In today's world the WOKE has convinced companies to fire people with opposing points of view, sensor professors and students at universities, destroy monuments and prohibit books from being published, falsify language and hire and promote by quota. High tech has become a real-life monster with more power than people and government. (what happened to the monopoly fighters)
My question is; can we let this go on, and can we even stop it?
My response to one of my grandchildren who criticized my question to my question: " Are we taking the last step out of a thousand years of darkness? Below was my answer:
"Thank you for your thoughts and when I send my Jan newsletter, I am sure that you wont agree with it. I fully condemn any law breaker and anyone that commits anarchy but where were people like you who were silent or even praised those that all summer murdered, looted, attacked police and others. Incidentally many businesses that were destroyed in the summer where minority owned. The networks showed little of this!!! and some even called the looting a righteous cause!
Trumps has said many stupid things but he has never condoned violence. Put yourself in his position: From day one he was maligned, falsely attacked, constantly, yet he did his job. Helped minorities, got people out of prison, got the vaccine, cut red tape and regulations, put money in people pockets, especially minorities. Did he make mistakes, was a loud mouth, of course but don't let the far left world fool you or you will grow up in a world which I don't think you will like. (That he went too far feeling that the election was rigged, yes but read his speech. He never called for violence as he said "protest the result of the election peacefully and patriotically"). As seen below hypocrisy has abounded
Kathy Griffin holding up a bloody head of Trump on Twitter
Madonna calling to blow up the white house
Pelosi ripping up state of union speech
Maxine Waters calling on people to attack Republicans all the above are just a few examples".
So, lastly if we can't learn to get along, bring back decency, love and morality we are probably lost.