In today's world, we find ourselves trapped in a predicament, especially the youth voters out there. What political party do we ally ourselves with? For most young people, the answer is simple: I don't know. Most of the time, the youth will follow whatever political beliefs and parties their parents hold to be dear and true. But most of the time, the youth will not take the necessary time to research all aspects of a certain policy, idea, conflict, situation, etc. They will instead allow themselves to be indoctrinated into whatever beliefs their parents hold and will state "that's that!" and be done with it. This is wrong.
How can we expect to be independent thinkers and reach our own logical conclusions about anything without branching out a little? How can we be expected to carry the torch of our great nation until the time comes to pass it to our children? How can we pass the baton of freedom when we allow a blindfold to be placed over our eyes?
Thomas Jefferson once wrote, "Shake off all the fears of servile prejudices, under which weak minds are servilely crouched. Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call on her tribunal for every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear." We the people can actively apply this to our policies, our actions, how we interact with people, anything and everything, and we would be a better people and create a better world for it.
Perhaps this is a reason why we have so much conflict and strife within this world. Perhaps we are unable to look beyond our personal prejudges, carried down by our previous generations onto us to carry on, because it is easier to hate then it is to love. It is easier to be blindly led into a never ending hole of hate and mistrust when we never take a peek as to what the world is really like and how good people truely are. Then we have no option but to have blind trust towards whomever is leading us.
Ronald Reagan once said, "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same."
Today, we Americans have become a bit passive in the things we do. We have grown so used to freedom and all the liberties we posses (especially natural born citizens), that we cannot fathom how we could have lived in any other way. I believe that's why my heart gains immense happiness whenever I watch a video of a immigrant coming to the United States with a American flag waving in their hand and the look of ecstatic joy on their face of finally having the blessing of becoming an American. They know the true value of liberty and freedom. Perhaps we should look upon the face of the newly libertated Americans to fully understand what our Founding Fathers were fighting sweat, blood, tooth and nail for.
Of course, being a American, we are all free to hold our opinions, however alien it may be to any one's neighbor. As Patrick Henry once said, "I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."
It is my humble opinion that we need to look back and realize exactly what it means to be an American. Americans have always been the guiding light of the world. We must constantly question, open our minds to new possibilities, and become more tolerant of others, for how else are we suppose to successfully be united when we are all so diverse without the threat of force of arms? God bless America and God bless the world.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Thoughts on Self Progress December 29, 2008
PC: "Why are people so willing to wrap themselves in the blanket of ignorance?"
JG: "Because they are content."
This is a line of dialog which I found myself in when talking to one of my friends Jon. The question I was wrestling within my mind for a period of time was easily answered when I posed the question to him. A very simple answer, but the one that travels straight to the core. It does so because it rings with crystal clarity, as the truth always does.
It seems that people are unwilling to expand their knowledge and improve themselves in order to understand and respect one another. I believe I can attribute this to a simple proverb: "Ignorance is bliss." But how blissful can an individual, never the less a people, be when conflicts which consume so many lives are born out of ignorance? Man has a natural fear of the unknown. That is why when we are children we have a fear of the dark. The dark represents unknown, for man is not a nocturnal creature. Same deal applies to an alien culture. We do not understand, so we grow fearful. Fear turns to anger, anger turns to hate, hate turns to suffering.
In order to advance ourselves individually and thus as a species, we must seek to understand all cultures, even those whom we may not agree with. The United States has long been split over partisian propoganda, whose liberal and whose conservative, Republicans agianst Democrats. But party lines should not stand in the way of unity and seeking to do what is best for our fellow man.
Too often in today's society, people are unwilling to question. At least when someone has a question it shows that the individual has an inclination to expand their knowledge. If the person or organization being questioned cannot come up with an adiquete reply, then it shows that they do not know what they are talking about. Perhaps it shall show that they need to re-evaluate themselves in order to either realize they have misinterpreted their values or that they have allowed themselves to be manipulated into a position which goes strongly agianst themselves and their values.
People should not be afriad to stand up for what is right. However, because people are content to live in ignorance for it gives them comfort, people shall close their eyes and thus plead the "I don't know" clause. To do so is irresponsible.
An example of a time when people were willing to be ignorant, unquestioning, and close their eyes to various injusticies within a country was a time referred to as The Holocaust.
Another example which is directly responsible for making the German people desperate enough to live in ignorance to regain dignity and pride stripped from them would be the Treaty of Versailles. This resulted because the exclusive members of the allied forces (not even all of them, Japan was excluded) wanted revenge. Woodrow Wilson lifted his head out of the sea of ignorance and hate to see the clear blue sky. He alone had the perfect peace plan because he regonized that both sides of the conflict suffered terribly. He was open minded. Unfortunatly, the other leaders were narrow minded and ignorant of history, so they and their children were doomed to repeat it, resultant being WWII and The Holocaust. If President Wilson's peace plan went through, the German people would have never allowed Hitler to gain power and put into effect his reign of terror.
As individuals, we must strive for self-improvement and make ourselves better than what we currently are, for that is what makes us human. As a whole we must do the same if we are have respect for our fellow man, which leads to tolerence which is stemmed from love which results in peace. As Richard Nixon puts it, "It is the U.S.'s goal to not just have peace in the sense of absence of war, but rather peace with justice." Good night everybody.
JG: "Because they are content."
This is a line of dialog which I found myself in when talking to one of my friends Jon. The question I was wrestling within my mind for a period of time was easily answered when I posed the question to him. A very simple answer, but the one that travels straight to the core. It does so because it rings with crystal clarity, as the truth always does.
It seems that people are unwilling to expand their knowledge and improve themselves in order to understand and respect one another. I believe I can attribute this to a simple proverb: "Ignorance is bliss." But how blissful can an individual, never the less a people, be when conflicts which consume so many lives are born out of ignorance? Man has a natural fear of the unknown. That is why when we are children we have a fear of the dark. The dark represents unknown, for man is not a nocturnal creature. Same deal applies to an alien culture. We do not understand, so we grow fearful. Fear turns to anger, anger turns to hate, hate turns to suffering.
In order to advance ourselves individually and thus as a species, we must seek to understand all cultures, even those whom we may not agree with. The United States has long been split over partisian propoganda, whose liberal and whose conservative, Republicans agianst Democrats. But party lines should not stand in the way of unity and seeking to do what is best for our fellow man.
Too often in today's society, people are unwilling to question. At least when someone has a question it shows that the individual has an inclination to expand their knowledge. If the person or organization being questioned cannot come up with an adiquete reply, then it shows that they do not know what they are talking about. Perhaps it shall show that they need to re-evaluate themselves in order to either realize they have misinterpreted their values or that they have allowed themselves to be manipulated into a position which goes strongly agianst themselves and their values.
People should not be afriad to stand up for what is right. However, because people are content to live in ignorance for it gives them comfort, people shall close their eyes and thus plead the "I don't know" clause. To do so is irresponsible.
An example of a time when people were willing to be ignorant, unquestioning, and close their eyes to various injusticies within a country was a time referred to as The Holocaust.
Another example which is directly responsible for making the German people desperate enough to live in ignorance to regain dignity and pride stripped from them would be the Treaty of Versailles. This resulted because the exclusive members of the allied forces (not even all of them, Japan was excluded) wanted revenge. Woodrow Wilson lifted his head out of the sea of ignorance and hate to see the clear blue sky. He alone had the perfect peace plan because he regonized that both sides of the conflict suffered terribly. He was open minded. Unfortunatly, the other leaders were narrow minded and ignorant of history, so they and their children were doomed to repeat it, resultant being WWII and The Holocaust. If President Wilson's peace plan went through, the German people would have never allowed Hitler to gain power and put into effect his reign of terror.
As individuals, we must strive for self-improvement and make ourselves better than what we currently are, for that is what makes us human. As a whole we must do the same if we are have respect for our fellow man, which leads to tolerence which is stemmed from love which results in peace. As Richard Nixon puts it, "It is the U.S.'s goal to not just have peace in the sense of absence of war, but rather peace with justice." Good night everybody.
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