Rioting in the streets, the looting and burning of stores and other buildings, the random killing of police officers, children murdered because they were in the neighbor's yard, black people afraid of police officers, Asians afraid of going out on the streets, crime on the rise, people spitting on soldiers, a full-out raid on our Capitol... and the pandemic. The last few years have seen so many tragic changes in our country for all people from every race, color, creed and background, and there is no end in sight.
Republicans promise one path to solve every problem. Democrats promise another. They are as rifted on Capitol hill as the people are in the streets. Social media is rife with angry hate-filled people who demonstrate absolutely no restraint, little morals and a complete lack of anything resembling decorum, and who have no problem voicing their opinions in the attempt to force their own ideals on others. And everywhere you go, you can hear arguments break out over those ideals and beliefs.
This is a country that was built on freedom - freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of the right to bear arms, freedom to own property, freedom to travel, freedom of entrepreneurship, freedom of expression... the right to choose. And yet one must wonder when those freedoms go too far. When do we stop just having our own freedom and start forcing our beliefs on someone who believes differently? When do you know where to draw the line?
Black people are against anyone white. White people are blaming the blacks for everything that is happening in our country right now. Democrats are blaming Republicans. Republicans are blaming Democrats. The police blame the "criminal element", many of whom are merely poverty-stricken people struggling to survive. The poverty-stricken blame the police, because they hate the interference in their attempts to better their own positions, even though some of it is through illegal activities. But when do things go too far? Democrats want to lock up Republicans. The poverty-ridden communities want to de-fund the police. The police want even harsher punishments on people who are already suffering from poverty and struggling to keep their electric and water on, or just to keep their home.
Children are not in school and when they are, they are not being taught as they should. Teachers are allowed to pass children on in grades even when they cannot read or write. "No Child Left Behind" was turned into an excuse to not hold back a child who has not learned what they need to as they get older. History texts are repeatedly rewritten and altered, the arts programs are slowly being wiped out of the schools, mathematics are repeatedly changing so parents can no longer help their children when they cannot understand it because they themselves don't understand it. Boys are allowed in girl's bathrooms and girls are allowed in boys, but no one is talking about the rapes in schools that have been swept under the rugs.
The LGBTQ community seeks recognition, so they can live their lives openly and without fear of prejudice. But those who are not a part of that group are feeling forced to integrate that ideal into their own world. And those who wish nothing more than to live quiet lives are being forced to deal with hypocrisy at every turn.
The very foundations of our country's forefathers is crumbling on our television screens and in our streets, and yet in spite of the chaos, it is not leaving with a loud bang. It is slipping quietly away in the shadows, under the guise of each new cause that raises its head. And while we sit and watch all the accolades for people who scream and tear apart our cities' streets, we are all forgetting the very important lessons millions of people around the world learned, and indeed many of them died on foreign and domestic soil to defend, in order to build this country. We have forgotten how much duress the people here were under as a British settlement, and how hard they fought for the very freedom we now so recklessly destroy.
Every soldier, and every soldier's family has, since the first war in this country, known exactly what the toll is for the freedom we enjoy. They have paid for it with the loss of their fathers, brothers and sons, and more recently with their mothers, sisters and daughters. Our soldiers have been coming home under our flag for generations, and not always with accolades or anyone to even claim them, after having paid the ultimate sacrifice to ensure that our freedom can continue. Graveyards across our nation hold the remains of those brave men and women. Memorials mark their heroic deeds. But are our actions honoring their sacrifices by keeping alive the nation they died for?
Someone very wise once told me that everything in life must be done in moderation. Too much alcohol and you become an alcoholic. Too much food and you develop health problems. Too much time awake and you get weakened and sick. Too many politically correct deals and we get politically corrected out of our rights. Is it not so feasible for us to remember that rule when asking for any new cause to be recognized?
Support your causes, but do not try to shove them down the throats of your friends, neighbors and neighborhoods. Ask for tolerance from each other instead of trying to take it by force. Start a dialogue about the changes we as a nation need, and then begin working toward a central point where all people can find common ground. All books don't need to be LGBTQ inclusive, nor do all need to be exclusive, and all movies don't need to be all white. Black should not be left out of everything, and should be recognized as equal to everyone else. In short, whether it be movies, music, books, neighborhoods, politics, or just everyday life, we should strive to have equal measure of all ideals, all races, all lifestyles. It is only once we stop the arguing and establish a dialogue with the purpose of finding a much needed balance in our society that we will finally be able to re-establish lasting peace. It is with this thought utmost in my mind, and seeing scenes every day like the picture I share with you here, that I beg each and every one of you to start thinking about the greater good for all people, and how much we need to restore the peace of this nation. All people need to be treated as equals and the sum of their worth. All people need to be recognized for their talent and intelligence. All people need to be allowed to be who they are as individuals and allowed to pursue their education and dreams unhindered from prejudice of any kind.
We need to do this to be once more "One Nation Under God."
K.R. Fraser