When it comes to the never ending arguments over political and social issues, I am one of those who is lost in the woods and unable to truly get involved with the arguments. This is not to say that I don’t have my beliefs be they for universal health care or wars to be fought only when actually attacked and only as a last resort to protect ourselves.
But my mind and heart are still caught in the memories of World War Two and the national and communal joining of hands that took place as we as a nation strove to overcome one of the greatest challenges to face our nation.
I remember being with my father as he worked on his victory garden with his many neighbors and friends in order to contribute to the war effort given that he was too old to serve in the military. I recall the stories I heard from my uncle Nate who served with the navy during World War Two. When I became old enough to study the full impact that World War Two created for us, I discovered that few if any of our citizens complained about high tax rates even when the highest rate for the wealthy rose to 82% of certain levels of income. As far as I can tell, almost to a person, our American citizens during this terrible war, threw all of themselves into whatever they could do to help bring us to victory.
My mind and heart are also caught up in my experiences with many of the religious faithful during my growing up years. No matter whether I was with my Catholic, Protestant or Jewish friends and families, I was learning from their actions that first and foremost, our job, after taking care of ourselves and family, was to be there for the poor and the needy and to be there for the community, be it local, state or national.
Were there signs around us of bigotry and hatred for some who looked different from the eye of the beholder? Yes. Did prejudice play a negative role in America’s continuing effort to be a nation which could provide all of our citizens with the rights given to us by our enduring federal constitution? Yes.
Here is the thing. America remains a nation that continues to strive for the freedom of individuals to be all that they can be. But I see us also as a “United States of America,” a nation that is a community dedicated to ensuring that each and every one of us will have opportunities to make us as individuals, and us as a communal nation, the best that we can be. I hear a different thread when I listen to the vitriolic dialogue taking place today in our nation's po
I continue to have hopes that we the people of the United States of America will continue to live out the dreams given to us by our founding fathers and mothers. To this end, I hope that our local and national dialogues will soon begin to better reflect our hopes and dreams.
But my mind and heart are still caught in the memories of World War Two and the national and communal joining of hands that took place as we as a nation strove to overcome one of the greatest challenges to face our nation.
I remember being with my father as he worked on his victory garden with his many neighbors and friends in order to contribute to the war effort given that he was too old to serve in the military. I recall the stories I heard from my uncle Nate who served with the navy during World War Two. When I became old enough to study the full impact that World War Two created for us, I discovered that few if any of our citizens complained about high tax rates even when the highest rate for the wealthy rose to 82% of certain levels of income. As far as I can tell, almost to a person, our American citizens during this terrible war, threw all of themselves into whatever they could do to help bring us to victory.
My mind and heart are also caught up in my experiences with many of the religious faithful during my growing up years. No matter whether I was with my Catholic, Protestant or Jewish friends and families, I was learning from their actions that first and foremost, our job, after taking care of ourselves and family, was to be there for the poor and the needy and to be there for the community, be it local, state or national.
Were there signs around us of bigotry and hatred for some who looked different from the eye of the beholder? Yes. Did prejudice play a negative role in America’s continuing effort to be a nation which could provide all of our citizens with the rights given to us by our enduring federal constitution? Yes.
Here is the thing. America remains a nation that continues to strive for the freedom of individuals to be all that they can be. But I see us also as a “United States of America,” a nation that is a community dedicated to ensuring that each and every one of us will have opportunities to make us as individuals, and us as a communal nation, the best that we can be. I hear a different thread when I listen to the vitriolic dialogue taking place today in our nation's po
I continue to have hopes that we the people of the United States of America will continue to live out the dreams given to us by our founding fathers and mothers. To this end, I hope that our local and national dialogues will soon begin to better reflect our hopes and dreams.
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