Ashes, ashes, we all fall down!

Friday, May 15, 2009

Do you remember that children's rhyme? Of course some of you do, and some even know where the origins of that rhyme. I would wager a nickel (ok I am a cheap gambler) that most haven't a clue.

It was a line in "Ring Around the Rosie" or "Ring a Ring o' Roses", a nursery rhyme, first appeared in print around 1881. (resource: wikipedia)

It seems that there are many versions in many different languages from many countries that have similarities, probably making it very difficult to determine exactly what it is about.

Here is an except from wikipedia:

"Many have associated the poem with the Great Plague of London in 1665, or with earlier outbreaks of bubonic plague in England. Interpreters of the rhyme before World War II make no mention of this;[15] by 1951, however, it seems to have become well established as an explanation for the form of the rhyme that had become standard in Britain. Peter and Iona Opie remark[16]: ‘The invariable sneezing and falling down in modern English versions have given would-be origin finders the opportunity to say that the rhyme dates back to the Great Plague. A rosy rash, they allege, was a symptom of the plague, posies of herbs were carried as protection, sneezing was a final fatal symptom , and “all fall down” was exactly what happened.’ Another translation:Ring around the Rosie: people with the plague often had a bright rose-colored rash that people would see and make a large ring around them. A pocket full of posies: people without the plague often carried around posies, believing this would purify the air and protect them from getting ill. Ashes, Ashes: When people died, sometimes they would be burnt to ashes. Then those ashes would be put in a jar and buried. In this way, there was enough room in the graveyards for everyone. We all fall down: ‘falling down’ meant dying and many people did die.

"This popped into my head this morning, so I had to do a google search and see if I was remembering the meaning behind it, as all I was remembering was something to do with the plague.
Aha, so perhaps the notorious 'Swine flu' has been on my mind and that brought it to the surface. Seeing the photographs and hearing the stories, (or reading online) about the horrors of the Swine flu that swept across the world has been enough to stall whole countries, as well as airlines, commerce and, guess what?Yes, strangely enough, it has the power to stop demonstrations, or people protesting, gathering together for common purposes in this truly insane world.

One then, has to take the next logical step (as Spock would say), and ask if this also could have been a 'hidden agenda' for the PTB as it is clear that people all over the world have had enough, the proverbial straw has broken the camel's back and they are saying.......enough already!

Fair enough logic?....hmmmm