Free And Equal In Mind And Soul

A nation cannot “have its cake and eat it too.” It can not have a harmonious citizenry and actively preserve, at the exclusion of any, the absolute culture of any group. If it, or any group within it, desires comfortable equality and real integration, it must not favor any group more than any individual.

I hear people talk about afro-centricity, gay pride, white supremacy, Native American culture and women’s rights. I find it hard to think in these terms and, at the same time, think as a free and equal American. When I think of women as a group, I have to think of men as the opposition. That gives me trouble reconciling my belief that men and women are of equal value, but are, by nature, different parts of the same group. My thoughts of one nation are disrupted when I hear terms related to people’s color, lifestyle, or ethic origin. My mind is really bothered when these terms are associated with our government’s mandated programs.

There is just enough “favor” to go around, and there ought not be competition for it. Competition is said to be good for us, and that may be so in business, but I am not sure that the rivalry caused by bias governing will not fragment our strengths. To give preference to any group, cannot help but deprive individuals, outside that group, of their part.

In fairness to all and in the eyes of the law, there can be no black Americans, Hispanic Americans or white Americans; just Americans. If a united nation is the goal, each person must know, without regard for his culture, his lifestyle or his gender, that he has equal chance under the law.

The solidarity of any nation is enhanced when each citizen understands and endorses his place as a contributing part of the whole. He can understand that place better when he feels that he has been treated fairly, as measured against us all; and the “melting pot” has done its job, when all its citizens feel no prejudice or envy from without, or from within their very souls.

Questions With No Answers.

Recently, I heard a mother talking about her teen age daughter’s untimely death. This beautiful young girl was killed in an automobile accident while on an outing with a friend. There was no drugs or drinking involved, the friend was just driving too fast for her experience and lost control on a dangerous curve. The young girl was active in her church, a good student in school, loving and was loved by her family. She had most of a normal life ahead of her, and there was promise of good things to come.

The question, “why her?” was asked by her mother and many others. Why would God allow her to be born and yet allow her to die before her life came into fruition.

After many months, I don’t know that the question has been resolved in minds of some. Can God be blamed? Can the driver be blamed? Most of us are not exempt from unusual circumstance. Things happen that we do not understand, but I feel most at ease when my faith in God has moved me toward acceptance.

About some things, my human insight is obscure, so I do better when I put my trust in one who clearly sees the whole. Maybe there are some human questions for which there are no human answers.

Cranberry Statistics

Thirty plus years ago, I was advised by my doctor to have a stone removed from my gall bladder. Since a tetanus shot is a major medical procedure to me, I chose to live with the stone. As I dealt with the aggravation, someone told me that cranberry juice would help the stone production problem. Eager to prevent surgery, I drank a small glass of it each day for all those years. Recently, while having a sonogram for another problem, we looked at the gall bladder and found no evidence of stones. I immediately thought of all that red juice, and how it must have helped my problem. As I tried to validate its usefulness, I also discovered that, since I started drinking the juice of the cranberry, we haven’t had to replace a single muffler on any of our automobiles.