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Someone posted a video of a scene in nature with titles instructing the viewer to please watch to the end because it’s a good ending. I watched the video and it was very intriguing. It was disturbing and also applicable as a visual aid to remind us of the importance of participation in our country and in our policies.

The video had some kind of animal, an African Buffalo type creature struggling to get out of the river, but it was having difficulty because of the alligator (or crocodile) who was clenching in its jaw, the creature’s hind foot. The poor creature was in high panic survival mode as it tried to drag itself out of the river. At best, it was able to crawl up to the embankment, but the gator pulled back and the creature slid back into the river in an instant. The creature was exhausted from the task of surviving and while gasping for energy, it weakened for just a second and the gator overpowered it at that moment.

An entire herd of the same poor creature was standing by, watching the situation from the bank, next to the field before the jungle, and directly behind them, probably there for the drinking water, was a herd of zebra standing, grazing and mildly showing interest in the struggle of life. As I watched the struggle, I wondered at the herd, “Why are you just standing there not doing anything or more precisely, doing nothing to help?” That thought instantly reminded me of all the branches of government looking at our beautiful U.S. Constitution, and the reputation and representation of us often trying to be a country of heroes, getting dragged back into the river of certain turmoil of the less evolved beast. and trying to survive while those harsh changes happen in real time for the oppressed. The individuals of the herd look at the struggle with an expression as if saying they want to help, really, however, they are frightened at the aspect of getting their own hind legs in that gator’s jaw. Their fear paralyzed all members of the entire herd except for the one fighting for its life.

But wait, what’s this? As the camera’s eye moved backward to frame the scene of the river where the creature and the gator are in a major struggle in front of the herd of bystander buffalo and the herd of zebras, two very large hippos came into view as they sped and stomped with power toward the gator and knocked the gator out of the way and the lucky buffalo creature quickly raced up onto the land and left as fast as he could while dragging his injured hind hoof.

 The video reminded me of our current political scene and I see the hippos as the heroes. They are similar to evolved activists, the American citizens who vote, care, communicate and pay attention. Sometimes, while listening to odd speeches from the opposition, a sense of feeling something like a temporary hypnosis floats in the air for a few seconds by the seduction of smooth talkers, who have persuaded large groups of constituents that they are not smart enough to evolve from their level and that’s why they should stay oppressed and oppress others because they are not capable of understanding what is essentially good for the human species, global economy, planet and health. That is what the opposition’s political statements sound like to me.

It feels reassuring though, to have attentive representatives counter the downgrade while reminding us to please upgrade and provide some solutions that are really representative of the high hope and ability humans have to improve each situation.

#valianthippos    #politicalheroes