ce soir, pas de lumière dans la ville de la lumière.


from eiffel tower cam, lights out, 5:09am, 14 nov 2015.

paris burns tonight.

just like back in the days of the french revolution,  the days of the storming of the bastille (14 july 1789; 82670 days since then),  the september massacres (2-7 september 1792, 81520 days since then). also, the day of 9/11, 2001 (5176 days since then).

many shouts of anger and resentments, worries and fear echoes throughout the darken sky.  all over the world. pointing fingers. locking the doors. screaming revenge. declarations. fist shaking.

i cannot help but to think of the irony, of the parallel universe, as i dig back to the old notes...

Many other factors involved resentments and aspirations given focus by the rise of Enlightenment ideals. These included resentment of royal absolutism; resentment by peasants, labourers and the bourgeoisie toward the traditional seigneurial privileges possessed by the nobility; resentment of the Catholic Church's influence over public policy and institutions; aspirations for freedom of religion; resentment of aristocratic bishops by the poorer rural clergy; aspirations for social, political and economic equality, and (especially as the Revolution progressed) republicanism; hatred of Queen Marie-Antoinette, who was falsely accused of being a spendthrift and an Austrian spy; and anger toward the King for dismissing ministers, including finance minister Jacques Necker, who were popularly seen as representatives of the people.
Doyle, The Oxford History of the French Revolution (2003), pp.73–74

we point fingers. we blame the ISIS. the nutcases. religious radicals. however, i cannot help but to think of the roots of support for the few self-interested radicals who heads these movements; the people who become the radical fighters. people who sacrifices their earning and time for this cause.

these people, in another world, wouldve loved to live like you and me. in a comfortable house.  with electricity. with no worries for starvation. of safety and opportunity for education. dreaming of mobility and freedom. no, not dreaming. living with it, every second of every day.

switching out a few nouns on above paragraph by doyle, i cannot help but to look myself in the mirror. mea culpa.  what is to be done now? what could i do now? tomorrow? next week?

it's a dark night in paris.

ce soir, pas de lumière dans la ville de la lumière.

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