Having taken a brief hiatus from blogging I find myself resisting the urge to once again get caught up in the maelstrom of current politics. There were many mornings that happened to me in the past. Trying to remain objective and detached is quite a difficult thing to do when you are passionate about a subject. I am passionate about America. I was lucky enough to be born in this land and I'm grateful for that. Now I hear I enjoy all of that because of some mysterious " white " privilege. I was never aware of any of that, just aware that I faced different challenges in life than some others. They were social and economic challenges. In brief, life wasn't always fair. I grew up with an understanding of that. I also grew up without resenting that, or making demands. The goal was always to earn your " keep. " That is the lesson I was taught as a child. It was the you made your bed, now sleep in it, mindset. If the bed was messy that was your fault!
Today is the first of July. My birth month, and the month of the birth of a nation. Whereas it is true we declared ourselves an independent nation in July of 1776, that independence wasn't official until Congress ratified the Treaty of Paris in January of 1784. But we won't let facts get in the way of a good celebration. January is for celebrating the New Year, not a new nation. We have been official for 236 years! A lot has taken place over that time, a lot of growing pains. I believe that is to be expected however, change takes time, real change that is. Oh we can make things different in short order, usually by violent means, maintaining that change is the real challenge. There are always those that disagree. The ones that can't accept that life isn't always fair. The ones that want something for nothing! Those folks are eager to do something, anything, for a short term gain. They will expend a great deal of energy to do so, like a child throwing a fit! Once they get whatever it is they desire, they quit until they want something else. They are also quick to discard whatever it is they wanted yesterday, in favor of today. Remember it took eight years to secure our independence that we so boldly declared back in July of 1776. In 1812 we, the United States of America, declared war on Great Britain over trade restrictions. It didn't end until three years later when we ratified a previous agreed upon treaty. It was the very first time America had declared war upon another nation. And yes, it was over money, much like the first. Not much changes, does it? Todays civil unrest centers around what? Race?
Race is the hot topic isn't it. It is what is being presented as the source of all the issues. Well, its' not fair! That's true enough from a social standpoint, it has never been fair for one group to dominate, subjugate or otherwise act in a discriminatory fashion toward our fellow man. But what is the proposed solution? Money, is the short answer. Compensation for the injustices of the past. The thinking is simple enough, just give them, whoever " they " are, whatever they want and things become quiet once again. Just like giving the child the toy they want in the toy store! It's an appeasement, not a solution to the problem.
I am concerned for what we will have to surrender to appease the crowd this time. What freedoms will we have to surrender? Is it just a matter of a hand out? Will that make everything fair? The declaration was, all men are created equal. Yes they are. All are not born under equal circumstance however. Is that fair? Can we make that fair? The best we can hope for is an equal opportunity. Is opportunity dependent upon circumstance? Yes I'd say it is. When man can control circumstance, man can provide equal opportunity for everyone. Until then, it isn't fair. How shall we appease the crowd?
Today is the first of July. My birth month, and the month of the birth of a nation. Whereas it is true we declared ourselves an independent nation in July of 1776, that independence wasn't official until Congress ratified the Treaty of Paris in January of 1784. But we won't let facts get in the way of a good celebration. January is for celebrating the New Year, not a new nation. We have been official for 236 years! A lot has taken place over that time, a lot of growing pains. I believe that is to be expected however, change takes time, real change that is. Oh we can make things different in short order, usually by violent means, maintaining that change is the real challenge. There are always those that disagree. The ones that can't accept that life isn't always fair. The ones that want something for nothing! Those folks are eager to do something, anything, for a short term gain. They will expend a great deal of energy to do so, like a child throwing a fit! Once they get whatever it is they desire, they quit until they want something else. They are also quick to discard whatever it is they wanted yesterday, in favor of today. Remember it took eight years to secure our independence that we so boldly declared back in July of 1776. In 1812 we, the United States of America, declared war on Great Britain over trade restrictions. It didn't end until three years later when we ratified a previous agreed upon treaty. It was the very first time America had declared war upon another nation. And yes, it was over money, much like the first. Not much changes, does it? Todays civil unrest centers around what? Race?
Race is the hot topic isn't it. It is what is being presented as the source of all the issues. Well, its' not fair! That's true enough from a social standpoint, it has never been fair for one group to dominate, subjugate or otherwise act in a discriminatory fashion toward our fellow man. But what is the proposed solution? Money, is the short answer. Compensation for the injustices of the past. The thinking is simple enough, just give them, whoever " they " are, whatever they want and things become quiet once again. Just like giving the child the toy they want in the toy store! It's an appeasement, not a solution to the problem.
I am concerned for what we will have to surrender to appease the crowd this time. What freedoms will we have to surrender? Is it just a matter of a hand out? Will that make everything fair? The declaration was, all men are created equal. Yes they are. All are not born under equal circumstance however. Is that fair? Can we make that fair? The best we can hope for is an equal opportunity. Is opportunity dependent upon circumstance? Yes I'd say it is. When man can control circumstance, man can provide equal opportunity for everyone. Until then, it isn't fair. How shall we appease the crowd?
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