The Revolution is Life Versus d**h by Bernard Sanders Mr. Sanders, who has written several other thoughtful pieces for The Freeman, lives in Greensboro Bend, from which vantage point he takes a penetrating look at the world around him. The train pulls out of 14th street in Manhattan at 8:30 in the morning. Sleepy people, miserable people, hold on to the overhead straps and each other. (The seats have been filled up since way back in Brooklyn). It's another ma** of hot dazed humanity heading uptown for the 9-5. Moron work, monotonous work, coffee breaks, office gossip, and 5 o'clock comes and the same train, the same mob of faceless people, turns around and heads the other way.
The train stops somewhere in Brooklyn, a crowd gets out, someone walks a few blocks into a 3 room apartment, family, dinner, arguments, TV and sleep. Eight-thirty the next morning the train is back on 14th street.
The years come and go, suicide, nervous breakdown, cancer, s**ual deadness, heart attack, alcoholism, senility at 50. Slow, d**h, fast d**h. DEATH.
And some people actually wonder why young people rebel, why there is a revolution taking place.
Lies, lies, lies, invasion, napalm torture bombings, annihilation o [sic] whole villages, body counts, and more lies.
"In defense of liberty," "against communist aggression," "to protect American interests," empty phrases, dead words spoken by dead people, lies. "Democracy" is a United States congress composed of millionaires and state legislatures controlled by lobbyists. (Does one American in a thousand know who represents him in his state legislature?). "Freedom" is an arm broken by Mayor Daley's cops, while nobody's choice for president kisses the television set as he is nominated in Chicago.
Somewhere in California, in Vermont, in New Mexico, in Colorado, and in everyplace, new things are happening. A revolution is tak- against strangulation and ing place [sic], Life is fighting d**h, and Life will win.
Life is young (at any age), alive, open, and nonfearing. Life can take his clothes off and be naked with friends. He or she has nothing to hide. There is nothing prettier than the unclothed human body.
In Miami, the American Legion sponsors a "rally for decency." Even Jackie Gleason attends. Ron Morrison of the Doors is arrested for giving a lewd performance. He is "immoral." The President of the American Legion calls for more bombings of Vietnam. "Bomb them into the stone age", the general says, after cocming [sic] out of church. This is the morality that civilization is made of. The general is "moral", Morrison is "immoral."
Because they have been good little children, and because the judge this year is liberal, daddy is going to allow everyone who is ever [sic] 18 to see "I Am Curious Yellow." Yes, you can see naked people and even s**ual intercourse right in your local movie theatre. And 300,000 people (over 18) lined up, like good little girls and boys, and saw it. Yes, son (age 90), that's how other people do it.
In Vermont, at a state beach, a mother is reprimanded by Authority for allowing her 6 month old daughter to go about without her diapers on. Now, if children go around naked, htey [sic] are liable to see each others s**ual organs, and maybe even touch them. Terrible thing! If we bring children up like this it will probably ruin the whole p**nography business, not to mention the large segment of the general economy which makes its money by playing on peoples s**ual frustrations.
The Revolution is coming and it is a very beautiful revolution. It is beautiful because, in its deepest sense, it is quiet, gentle, and all pervasive. It KNOWS. What is most important in this revolution will require no guns, no commandants, no screaming "leaders", and no vicious publications accusing everyone else of being counter-revolutionary. The revolutionary. The revolution comes when two strangers smile at each other, when a father refusese [sic] to send his child to school because school destroys children, when a commune is started and people begin to trust each other, when a young man refuses to go to war, and when a girl pushes aside all that her mother has "taught" her and accepts her boyfriends [sic] love.
The revolution comes when young people throughout the world take control of their own lives, and whes [sic] people everywhere begin to look each other in the eye and say hello, without fear. This is the revolution, this is the strength, and with this behind us no politician or general will ever stop us. We shall win!