I’m trying to take anger out of my leanings. Further, I try
to make decisions based on my evaluation of facts and circumstances. That is
not always an easy process. Done well, though, it can be a rewarding one.
Social media is all aflame, for example, with opinions as to
whether or not true patriots wear flag decals on their lapels. It frankly doesn’t
bother me much, although I’ve always found the practice slightly offensive—wearing
a flag lapel pin that is. Too many verified scoundrels, hypocrites, draft
dodgers, and worthless politicians don them for my liking. It seems to be a
cheap way of showing that you can talk the talk without ever having walked the
walk.
That said, do I hate people who don’t think like me? No. I
don’t think highly of folks who choose opposite paths out of racial, gender, social,
or sexual bigotry. But hate them? I’m not allowed to. The Galilean forbids it
for one thing. Consider the following.
No long ago, I spent some time in a large room full of
people, most of whom, if the research could be done, were related or near
related to me. I suspect that the vast majority, maybe 95 percent or more, were
good, honest, trustworthy, dependable, and mostly loving people. They were good
to their families, hard-working, and kind to their neighbors. There were many
former veterans and probably no former felons in the room. Had they known who I
was, to a person they would have welcomed me and stood ready to help if I
needed them.
As I survived the crowd, the fact settled on me like a cold morning
midst. There may not have been another soul in that room who voted for same person
I did in the last presidential election.
Do we worship different values? I suspect not many. Do we perceive
good and evil differently? I suspect not materially. If we got to know one
another well and could discuss politics with empathy and logic, would we end up
despising one another? I suspect not.
So what is the damned problem with us Americans these days?
I wish I knew. To arrive at my own personal answer, I think I’d better consider
my own prejudices first. Here goes.
I am a veteran of the United States Navy, having served in
an armed detachment, called Naval Security Forces, in Vietnam. Our president’s
party dishonored the service of two people I consider spiritual shipmates, John
McCain and John Kerry. It will take some time for me to get over that. Maybe
someday. I’ll try.
Someone very close to me was born with a disabling syndrome.
The leader of one of two major political parties mocked a man with a similar
disability. I’m sorry, but I took that personally.
I’m not what you would call a religious person, but I love
some aspects of the Galilean’s story. I believe strongly in the separation of
church and state. I find it too easy for the ill-willed among us to highjack
religion, so I think its best that we keep it to ourselves and out of the halls
of government. That having been said, I use the Sermon on the Mount, as presented
in the Gospel of Matthew, as a guide to the moral side of political guidance.
Of course, that tilts me toward the progressive side of things.
If I am an expert on anything, it is certain aspects of
government and I believe that government can be a positive force for good. That
tilts me away from politicians that seek to dismantle our governmental
structures.
As one can see, I have my prejudices, but none of them
involve flag decals.
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| I believe we'll make our Eagle smile again. |
In many ways, my friend, our experiences are similar. I, too, wore our nation's uniform in a combat zone, and I reserve for myself the right to feel how I feel about what Max Brantley once called "jingoistic patriotism." While I am no biblical or theological scholar and don't darken a church's doors nearly as much as my parents wish, I, too, believe a portion of Matthew (25:40) speaks to how to live a life of doing no harm.
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