After writing yesterdays posting I did get a few comments. In responding to those remarks I stumbled upon another thought or observation. Whichever you choose to call that experience these things just come to me. I thank those responsible for waking that portion of my brain up. Anyway, I remarked that we may not have always known the truth of things, but we believed. We believed in America, we believed in doing what was right, and we believed in each other. And it is that fundamental outlook that has changed.
My generation, the baby boomers, were the last to be taught such. It was our generation that began the big transformation. No longer accepting the facts as presented, we began to question. We " dropped " out and " turned " on. The love generation some have called it. We began using drugs as an accepted form of recreation. Sure, generations before us had used them, but the difference was they knew they were doing wrong. Those generations didn't attempt to justify their vices, they attempted to keep them hidden. That was the truth many of us didn't know. It wasn't just drugs though, it was many other social aspects. No one went around telling you their sexual preferences. That was private and kept that way. Your religious convictions, or lack of it, was also a private matter. There was no debate about morals and morality. Those standards were well known and understood by all. It is true that they may not have been adhered to, but the illusion was maintained. At a minimum those actions were veiled. But then we " turned " on. And what did that mean ? It meant to just do the things that pleased you. The focus shifted to you ! Reject society and the social conventions of the past. Do your own thing, man ! In doing so we had to sacrifice one thing : belief. In order to reject the truths of the past we had to quit believing in them. And what are we left with ? What do we believe today ?
We are teaching our children how we displaced the Native Americans and stole the land from them. We are the illegal immigrants. We teach the children how we were slave holders and abused an entire race for financial gain. We teach the children how the government cares and protects us, the government is our benefactor. We can not accomplish anything on our own, we need the support of government. For too many years we portrayed our soldiers and sailors not as patriots, but as baby killers and puppets of a corrupt government. America has been segmented. How many flags are flying today when there should only be one ?
Doing the right thing. That was taught and expected of folks. Yes, even when no one was looking, that was expected. Now, the objective is to get what you want, regardless. If you can find a way to cheat, do it. If you can find any loophole at all, exploit that. All is acceptable as long as it is a defensible action in a court of law. Morality plays no role in the decision making process, it is all based on legality. I believe that doing the right thing is the reward. Today many believe the opposite or they believe nothing at all.
Lastly, we have lost faith in each other. We no longer believe the best about a person, but assume the worst. A great deal of that is because of appearance. When you dress and act like a thug people will think you are a thug. Simple enough to understand isn't it ? We all know a cowboy when we see one and a businessman. I had heroes growing up. Beyond my own Dad and the others that I knew personally, I had those heroes of the screen. Those heroes were larger than life. They spoke the truth and acted accordingly. They may have been cowboys and gunfighters but they didn't kill anybody. If they did, it was shown to be an act that was unavoidable, but still regrettable. There was no bravado in that action. Others defended truth, justice and the American way. Yes, I knew that it was television and the movies but they still inspired me to act according to the code, whatever that code was. I believed it then and believe it now, it is possible to live your life in that fashion. Respect will be given to you for doing so and you will sleep good at night. The sleep of the righteous !
Belief is the birthplace of hope. Without it, what is the point ? If we can not believe, how can we dream ? A life without dreams is a life wasted. If you do not strive for a better world you are just taking up space. Each of us are important in the grand scheme. I believe in a creator and that he has a plan. He has not placed anyone here to be a waste, we each have a purpose. We don't need to know what that purpose is, we only need to believe. From that belief springs hope. Hope for mankind and hope for the world. I sure hope that belief in America can be restored. That is my dream. I know Martin Luther King already said that. I just happen to agree. Now, if only we could get everyone to believe. We need to believe in America, the dream that is a nation, and trust in the God that founded her. Belief can not be refuted ! Nor can the " truth " I believe. That is the power of belief.
My generation, the baby boomers, were the last to be taught such. It was our generation that began the big transformation. No longer accepting the facts as presented, we began to question. We " dropped " out and " turned " on. The love generation some have called it. We began using drugs as an accepted form of recreation. Sure, generations before us had used them, but the difference was they knew they were doing wrong. Those generations didn't attempt to justify their vices, they attempted to keep them hidden. That was the truth many of us didn't know. It wasn't just drugs though, it was many other social aspects. No one went around telling you their sexual preferences. That was private and kept that way. Your religious convictions, or lack of it, was also a private matter. There was no debate about morals and morality. Those standards were well known and understood by all. It is true that they may not have been adhered to, but the illusion was maintained. At a minimum those actions were veiled. But then we " turned " on. And what did that mean ? It meant to just do the things that pleased you. The focus shifted to you ! Reject society and the social conventions of the past. Do your own thing, man ! In doing so we had to sacrifice one thing : belief. In order to reject the truths of the past we had to quit believing in them. And what are we left with ? What do we believe today ?
We are teaching our children how we displaced the Native Americans and stole the land from them. We are the illegal immigrants. We teach the children how we were slave holders and abused an entire race for financial gain. We teach the children how the government cares and protects us, the government is our benefactor. We can not accomplish anything on our own, we need the support of government. For too many years we portrayed our soldiers and sailors not as patriots, but as baby killers and puppets of a corrupt government. America has been segmented. How many flags are flying today when there should only be one ?
Doing the right thing. That was taught and expected of folks. Yes, even when no one was looking, that was expected. Now, the objective is to get what you want, regardless. If you can find a way to cheat, do it. If you can find any loophole at all, exploit that. All is acceptable as long as it is a defensible action in a court of law. Morality plays no role in the decision making process, it is all based on legality. I believe that doing the right thing is the reward. Today many believe the opposite or they believe nothing at all.
Lastly, we have lost faith in each other. We no longer believe the best about a person, but assume the worst. A great deal of that is because of appearance. When you dress and act like a thug people will think you are a thug. Simple enough to understand isn't it ? We all know a cowboy when we see one and a businessman. I had heroes growing up. Beyond my own Dad and the others that I knew personally, I had those heroes of the screen. Those heroes were larger than life. They spoke the truth and acted accordingly. They may have been cowboys and gunfighters but they didn't kill anybody. If they did, it was shown to be an act that was unavoidable, but still regrettable. There was no bravado in that action. Others defended truth, justice and the American way. Yes, I knew that it was television and the movies but they still inspired me to act according to the code, whatever that code was. I believed it then and believe it now, it is possible to live your life in that fashion. Respect will be given to you for doing so and you will sleep good at night. The sleep of the righteous !
Belief is the birthplace of hope. Without it, what is the point ? If we can not believe, how can we dream ? A life without dreams is a life wasted. If you do not strive for a better world you are just taking up space. Each of us are important in the grand scheme. I believe in a creator and that he has a plan. He has not placed anyone here to be a waste, we each have a purpose. We don't need to know what that purpose is, we only need to believe. From that belief springs hope. Hope for mankind and hope for the world. I sure hope that belief in America can be restored. That is my dream. I know Martin Luther King already said that. I just happen to agree. Now, if only we could get everyone to believe. We need to believe in America, the dream that is a nation, and trust in the God that founded her. Belief can not be refuted ! Nor can the " truth " I believe. That is the power of belief.
No comments:
Post a Comment