Unfortunately, the attitude of “It is just history, so what?”, is more common in America today than we would like to accept.
This attitude really grieves my heart. My personal experiences of living in different countries and even in different states have made history come alive for me. I have interacted with people from different countries and experienced their cultures. My conclusion is that the lack of identification with something greater than yourself is both selfish and wrong.
I believe the concept of Political Correctness being “fair” is a false narrative. Whenever one does anything from a political perspective, someone is going to encounter negative consequences. The only real concerns and motivations of those endorsing political correctness are who will be the least vocal and the least visual in their opposition.
My life has been amazing. I have traveled and experienced things than many people have only read about or seen on television or in the movies. My first move was from New Jersey to Arizona. I can remember seeing cowboys walking down the street with a revolver on their side. My family then moved to Europe. Living outside of Paris, we experienced the French culture. I will never forget the differing aromas of the bakeries and of the streets. Our next move was to Germany, where we traveled extensively. I have looked over the Berlin Wall into East Germany. I have walked the grounds of Dachau, the concentration camp. I have been to the Swiss Alps and the Cliffs of Dover. Later, we traveled to the Panama Canal Zone. While in Panama, I slept in the jungle. I witnessed monkeys in the wild. I even visited a leper colony. Many of my experiences were enjoyable but some were demoralizing and even made my stomach turn.
When a person or a society ignores, changes, or selectively acknowledges their history all that follows is without merit, and a false foundation.
I am both fortunate and thankful that while I was growing up my mother and father encouraged us to learn our families’ unique history, and the history of our country. I realize this is not true for many people today. I also realized that in the past the family name held significance. The country of your birth, or the country with which you chose to be identified, was a statement of pride.
Today, I can better identify with the Founding Fathers of the United States of America than any other time in my life. I believe these men were men of conviction and these are some of those convictions.
* Identification with a purpose greater than ourselves is crucial
* Mandates placed upon the individual, especially without representation, is unacceptable
* Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is foundational, not equal or guaranteed
* Tolerance is acknowledging a differing opinion, not making it correct
* Government and ruling authorities must have checks and balances to protect the individual rights
Reflecting upon these few truths it became evident to me how much my country has changed. Here are a few points on which I base my conclusion:
* The inference that people who identify with a creator instead of science are foolish
* The promotion of the incorrect definition regarding “the separation of church and state”
* The proposition that government is “responsible for” not “to” the individual
* That all efforts or sacrifices, although not being equal, require equal compensations
* Being loving towards ones brother requires always being tolerant
* Protecting ones feelings is of greater importance than truth
* Prayer being removed from school, and all evidences of faith being politically incorrect
* Life becoming less valuable, negotiable, and manipulated
* Criminal justice changing from rendering punishment to rehabilitation
* Individuals can redefine that which they did not define to begin with
* Self-esteem is more important than self respect
This weekend we celebrate the Independence of The United States of America. I question whether we are more or less independent today than the day I was born. What do you think?
See you on the “Open Road”,
Moto-Tec Tim