The ” War of the Hibiscus”

Posted on August 27, 2023 by Becky Dingle
The ” House of the White Hibiscus ”
The ” House of the Red Hibiscus”

Dear Reader:

After taking a quick early morning photo of my two revived side yard hibiscus plants …with their white and red blooms… I started remembering our earlier discussion on the War of Roses a few weeks back.

Isn’t it amazing how our minds can think so creatively while driving? The more I thought about this historical forty plus year war… ( red and white roses) …the more similarities between it and our country’s political strife today really is.

The War of Roses ( 14th century) conflict displayed an ever-increasing tendency to use deception, false propaganda, violence and might to achieve political ends. In fact the expression ” might is right” became a popular mantra between the Houses of York and Lancaster.

Today… our two conflicting ” houses” (political parties) over the assimilation of money and our country’s budget and where it should go to do the most good… reflect the dilemmas still alive and flourishing today… in an extremely off-kilter economic environment…especially for a democracy!

Back in the day of the War of Roses… there was no people’s democracy… the king , nobility, and clergy ( collectively) continued to own 95% of the country’s wealth.

Yet… today in our democracy the government…of ” We the People” … aren’t faring much better…. In the first quarter of 2023… 69% of our country’s total wealth is owned by the top 10% of earners. By comparison, the lowest 50% of earners only own 2.4% of the total wealth.

The Libra ( the Scales) in me is very uncomfortable… because , as we all know… power is aligned with money… and as we see and hear daily… most top earners and power controllers didn’t learn how to share in kindergarten … obviously!

So until tomorrow…

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh

If you remember the ending of the War of Roses… finally there was a Tudor marriage that united both sides and subsequently (symbolically from the red and white roses) a new pink rose emerged-a new beginning.

There is also a pink hibiscus!

Football Kick-0ff Day for all three Dingles!

Our little cheerleader-Eloise
It was a hot day!
Rutledge running over at half-time!!!
After lunch… resting in Walsh and Mollie’s cool house Tommy and the ” boys” (Atticus and Pip) joined us!
The ” boys loved Eloise sharing her peanut butter!

It was just fun all being together!

When I was leaving… Tommy showed me his golf bag -supporting St Jude’s! What a great donation-very creative! Thanks Tommy! đź’—

About Becky Dingle

I was born a Tarheel but ended up a Sandlapper. My grandparents were cotton farmers in Laurens, South Carolina and it was in my grandmother’s house that my love of storytelling began beside an old Franklin stove. When I graduated from Laurens High School, I attended Erskine College (Due West of what?) and would later get my Masters Degree in Education/Social Studies from Charleston Southern. I am presently an adjunct professor/clinical supervisor at CSU and have also taught at the College of Charleston. For 28 years I taught Social Studies through storytelling. My philosophy matched Rudyard Kipling’s quote: “If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.” Today I still spread this message through workshops and presentations throughout the state. The secret of success in teaching social studies is always in the story. I want to keep learning and being surprised by life…it is the greatest teacher. Like Kermit said, “When you’re green you grow, when you’re ripe you rot.”
This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply