Thoughts on current events July 2016...
I wrote an entire blog tonight on all the recent events and the social and 'real' media tidal wave of divisive commentary. But when I read it all, I realized, it was simply too long. The ideals I hold most dear, at least in respect to recent events are much simpler to document and espouse.
No American should ever have to fear each day they walk out their front door that it may well be their last, simply because they look a certain way, dress a certain way, or wear a certain uniform. This isn't some third world country in the Middle East ruled by mobs or warlords we live in, this is the United States of America.
Only, we aren't very united right now. We have real issues which need to be addressed with respect to race, with respect to law enforcement, with respect for life, with respect for letting people live their own lives free of oppression. We also have real problems with how and where we choose to inform and educate ourselves about events and issues.
We have some seriously evil and very real enemies in this world who want to see us ALL slaughtered. They want everyone not willing to blindly obey their beliefs and views dead, period. They haven't had to do a whole lot lately, since we seem to be doing a bang up job of tearing ourselves apart from within. Not just in these issues, but even in our politics.
So, I sought some wisdom from voices I have long valued in the past, and in the present. I decided to simply share a few here, in case perhaps they might give someone else some value in their lives as well.
"Freedom is the recognition that no single person, no single authority or government has a monopoly on the truth, but that every individual life is infinitely precious, that every one of us put in this world has been put there for a reason and has something to offer."
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
"All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent."
"How are we ever going to accomplish anything in this incredibly divisive time, if we only associate with people that we don't disagree with?"
"We don't know where our actions will influence the outcome. We act in faith. But the vital thing is, we act. We do not rely on hope alone. We work, we fight,and endure, and it does not matter whether the part we play is large or small."
The speakers/authors are Thomas Jefferson, Martin Luther King, Ronald Reagan, Connie Willis and Mike Rowe. They are intentionally not in that order, I jumbled them on purpose. You might be surprised at who said what, or you might not have read even this far. But maybe their words will help encourage constructive dialogue somewhere. They sure do give me some hope as we forge ahead.
No American should ever have to fear each day they walk out their front door that it may well be their last, simply because they look a certain way, dress a certain way, or wear a certain uniform. This isn't some third world country in the Middle East ruled by mobs or warlords we live in, this is the United States of America.
Only, we aren't very united right now. We have real issues which need to be addressed with respect to race, with respect to law enforcement, with respect for life, with respect for letting people live their own lives free of oppression. We also have real problems with how and where we choose to inform and educate ourselves about events and issues.
We have some seriously evil and very real enemies in this world who want to see us ALL slaughtered. They want everyone not willing to blindly obey their beliefs and views dead, period. They haven't had to do a whole lot lately, since we seem to be doing a bang up job of tearing ourselves apart from within. Not just in these issues, but even in our politics.
So, I sought some wisdom from voices I have long valued in the past, and in the present. I decided to simply share a few here, in case perhaps they might give someone else some value in their lives as well.
"Freedom is the recognition that no single person, no single authority or government has a monopoly on the truth, but that every individual life is infinitely precious, that every one of us put in this world has been put there for a reason and has something to offer."
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
"All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent."
"How are we ever going to accomplish anything in this incredibly divisive time, if we only associate with people that we don't disagree with?"
"We don't know where our actions will influence the outcome. We act in faith. But the vital thing is, we act. We do not rely on hope alone. We work, we fight,and endure, and it does not matter whether the part we play is large or small."
The speakers/authors are Thomas Jefferson, Martin Luther King, Ronald Reagan, Connie Willis and Mike Rowe. They are intentionally not in that order, I jumbled them on purpose. You might be surprised at who said what, or you might not have read even this far. But maybe their words will help encourage constructive dialogue somewhere. They sure do give me some hope as we forge ahead.
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