United In Spirit; Divided In Practice

Hey Everyone!! :-)

I've got a little more of Alyce's adventure to share with you, today! Enjoy! :-)

Excerpt from sci-fi satire novel:
The two aliens looked at each other and then back at me. They seemed to be at a loss.

"What?" I asked.

The tall alien crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. "Do you mean to say that, after everything so many people have done, all the time and energy they have expended, it's possible that nothing will come of it?"

I shrugged. "Sure. If people get complacent again, if they don't follow through, if they refuse to see that most of us are fighting for the same things and we need to work together, if they seek an advantage for themselves and their own cause instead of standing united with everyone else, there are so many things that could stop the movements for change in their tracks. The fact that I still have to speak of them as separate movements is a problem, in itself. Because it means that they haven't yet taken the step to join forces and work together. And they should, because most of them have a lot in common with each other."

"How is that possible when you, yourself, have named so many different issues that the various groups are championing?" asked Yax.

"Because most of those issues are intertwined. The groups that seek increased wages for workers have common cause with groups who want greater racial equality and justice. Because no group is more economically depressed than the racial minorities who are still fighting for basic rights. Those groups could support each other and work together to achieve all of their combined goals. And if the environment is destroyed, problems involving inequality and economic uncertainty will only get worse. Not to mention, it's generally the poor and voiceless in our society who suffer the brunt of the damage when it comes to environmental toxins and pollutants. So, it certainly makes sense for labor groups and civil rights groups to work together with environmental protection groups. And on and on. There's a lot of overlap in all of these causes, and if the people in all the groups would work together, they'd all have a much better chance of making progress towards their objectives."

"Will that happen?" asked Squid-boy.

"I don't know, sugar. I sure hope so, though. There are a few people who are starting to get people to listen to them who seem to be headed in that direction. Hopefully, more people will follow them and we'll get the non-violent, political revolution we've been needing for decades."

"And if that doesn't happen?"

I shook my head. "I don't know what will happen, exactly. But none of the possibilities are good."