U.S.: We can rule Oz
The Wizard of Oz is a true American Classic. First published in 1900 and made into a movie in 1939 (shortly before World War II), it has entertained and inspired multiple generations with its story of the search for the brains, heart and courage it takes to defeat evil.
One of the classic scenes in the story is when the “wizard” (through an elaborate projection device constructed to make him seem larger than life) is bellowing on about how even though our courageous little band has performed an impossible task (a task the wizard has sent them to perform, a task he himself has been unable to accomplish), they should “GO AWAY AND COME BACK TOMORROW!!!” Of course this is because he has no real clue how to grant them the wishes he has promised.
The smallest and most innocent character, the dog, pulls back the curtain to reveal the hoax, even as the pontificating charlatan continues to scream into the microphone: “PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN!!! I am the GREAT AND POWERFUL OZ!!!”
Does this in any way remind us of the current presidential campaign?
One of the toughest enemies we face is the insidious belief that our successes are only our own doing, that we do not need each other, that we are better off as individual actors vying for a spot at the trough.
Most people have a world view that skews in one of two directions: They either believe we live in a world of scarcity that requires us to compete against each other for our share, or they believe we can co-operate to create abundance. Of course the reality of our life is that we are faced with both. Scarcity drives the need to work both as individuals and together to create abundance. Humans have done pretty well on planet Earth when we grasp the meaning of this recipe. Balance between co-operation and competition is the key to living together in peace and prosperity.
Societies are judged by how they treat the “least of these” within their fold. Are they marginalized and ostracized, or are they enfranchised? The story of the evolution of America has been a story of the enfranchisement of the disenfranchised toward mutual respect and benefit.
We as a people have the courage, heart and brains necessary to rule Oz. We need only stop tearing each other apart and recognize that our combined efforts and talents, coordinated and mutually appreciated, can defeat any enemy. We should not abandon this concept to any individual. Not even ourselves.
STEPHEN D. BRUNO
Dalton Gardens