Mighty SEISMO is real and not real. His name comes from  the Greek word seismos, earthquake, and seien to shake. He is real by virtue of those root definitions and he is unreal by virtue of his role as the perpetrator of our social disorder. He is like a miasma that weaves its way through entire populations. In his personification he represents an entire milieu of shock and awe events that infect our youngsters, our middle-agers, and our elderly In essence he infects us all at one time or another either directly or by happenstance. Regardless his shock and awe effect disturbs the orderliness, humaneness, tranquility, and virtue of every human life. The above image illustrates both Mighty SEISMO’s presence and the disturbances he creates among us.

So how does Mighty SEISMO produce these behavior aberrations?  Well first, he inspires or enables them, but we are the ones that produce the effects. Since he is an infection, each of us reacts to that infection differently. Some of us become consumed by greed and tend to lose our focus on any other aspect of our lives and of those around us. When interrupted or blocked in our acquisitive pursuits we can be extremely hostile, even vengeful. Shakespeare in his play, Henry VIII (3.2.306-7 Surrey) observes: “Thy ambition, Thy scarlet sin, robbd this bewailing land” which serves to illustrate the fierceness of lust and greed.

Yes, lust, like greed is a forceful infection. Today, it seems Mighty SEISMO has infected so many of us with a burning lust that replaces true love and reduces human affection to the physical assuaging of that lust.  Most knowingly and one of SEISMO’s famous victims, the Marquis de Sade opines. “Lust’s passion will be served; it demands, it militates, it tyrannizes.”  Emotional indifference seems to be a residual and somewhat permanent scar of these lust-feasts. This carries over to a rising dispassion by us for what would otherwise be extremely serious, potentially frightening, and often deadly events or future human actions. Modern warfare, for too many, is met with shrugs of indifference. The declining state of our planet is equally shrugged off by the indifferent. Yes, there is also a lust for one’s own-self with respect to our response to ambition, the acquisitions of position, power and wealth, and as extreme egocentrism. This tends to isolate us from all that is not relevant to our particular focus. The biggest victim in this is often compassion and that is what can hold MightySEISMO at bay.

Perhaps our most dangerous and socially damaging reaction to Mighty SEISMO’s infection are acts of vengeance or revenge. Yes, some major cities report declines in violent crime, but others report an increase. Add to this an almost overwhelming rush on TV shows to push violence into its various forms. All of this is compounded by the extreme right politically pushing for uncontrolled access to guns. As reported in The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence,

  • “In their view (NRA and extreme right), unfettered access to firearms is the key ingredient to protecting individual rights from overreaching by government.   They argue that the only way to keep centralized authority in check is to ensure that individual citizens retain the capability to confront the government with force of arms“
This twisted and impassioned love of the GUN and its deadly impact is clearly displayed in a recounting of its use by a victim of the Tucson, AZ shooting of Congressperson Gabrielle Giffords, her associates and followers.  Randy Gardner a wounded survivor writes,
  • “Over the past years, we have all witnessed an unacceptable level of gun violence in our country. For too long, I’ve sat on the sidelines watching families struggle in their pain and grief with losing a family member to gun violence. I feel the need to do whatever I can to prevent others from experiencing this terrible heartache.”
So, we have the possibility of guns in schools, in bars, in the bedroom, the office; even at the beach; where does it stop?  Are we regressing to the days of the Wild Wild West? Do we need to revive and recruit those paragon gun-slinging law enforcers like the Earp brothers? Seems we are, if you consider the massive increase in security measures that are edging closer to the limits of our personal privacy. Add a gun into the hand of an otherwise law-abiding citizen who is suddenly overwhelmed with some socio-politcal incident and BANG, BANG and a life somewhere stops. Bar fights, of course take on a whole violent and dangerous pattern of behavior. Will bouncers now carry automatic rifles?

Mighty SEISMO must be stopped! This is not an overnight task. An entire change in our social order with an emphasis on greater equality and distribution of wealth is absolutely essential. Right now, Mighty SEISMO and powerful and wealthy interests fight to retain the current imbalanced, unfair and damaging social order. As noted, Mighty SEISMO is an infection so we humans must develop our resistance to that infection. Somehow we must overcome our fascination and obeisance to greed and lust and in that process re-acquaint ourselves with acts of compassion. Those acts need to start at home first then spread out. Finally, we need to resist violence. This becomes easier when we have revived compassion. Yes, I know there is a risk in being compassionate in response to violence, but it is a potential reverse shock and awe that stuns the irate when they face care, concern and a helping hand.  Should we succeed, guess who slides away never to return?  Mighty SEISMO.

Yes, we are all empowered to resist and dispel Mighty SEISMO and we can take both energy and succor from our Cosmic surrounds. The following video stresses this in a soothing and inspiring way. Good bye Mighty SEISMO we can now be free of you.

IMAGE CREDIT:  Mighty SEISMO’s public impact. Courtesy: Crowds of People – popartmachine.com