Confederate Flag

With all the media attention, it did not take long for someone to ask me what I thought about the Confederate Flag. My response was, "Do you mean the flag atop of the Dukes of Hazard car?" Growing up in New York, that sums my personal experience of that flag: a TV show I knew as a teenager in the early 1980's. Then I wrote a longer response, which I will share with my readers.

Flags are symbols. Symbols can mean something at one point of time, yet something completely different at another point of time.

The Nazi swastika, for example, was used as far back as 12,000 years before Hitler, as a sun symbol in India. It was also used by ancient Greeks, Chrisitans, Celts, Druids, Arabs, Native Americans and Buddhists. The word "swastika" in Sanscrit means: It is, well being, good existence and good luck. However, through the actions of Hitler and the SS, that symbol now has a far more sinister meaning in the global perspective. Their actions changed its meaning.

Likewise, the confederate flag was once a sign of the unified South (USA). Yet it has become associated with racism, bigotry, segregation, hate, lynchings, arson and violence. Much of this (but not all) was directed at the African Americans from the end of the Civil War through the 1960's. Growing up in the North, I did not see any from the 1970's onward -- until recently.

It reappeared on a National level when Obama became President, with an uptick in violence and hate. Not just toward African Americans, but against homosexuals, Muslims and any others whose appearance, lifestyle and/or beliefs do not match those hating.

I have seen a shocking level of hate spewed from Republicans toward Obama, and anyone and anything associated with Democrats or Liberals. Sadly, many of these people are self-proclaimed followers of Christ.

I can only guess that this hatred stems from either (or both) of two reasons: (1) Republicans are sore losers from the last two Presidential elections, or (2) Obama is Black and there is still bigotry and racism in some American hearts.

The Confederate flag is still a symbol of unification, but now used by those who degrade and hate others, as well as think themselves superior or on higher moral ground. While defendants argue the Confederate flag is a symbol of Southern heritage, like the swastika, it has been recast by the words and actions of negative people and become a symbol of elitism, bigotry, violence and hate. I am not against its historical symbol, but I am against the latter.

~ ESA

Prejudice

I received a text message from my "little sister" (19 years old) recently. I am glad she did not to take it personally, but I wish others would stop teaching prejudice.

"The saddest thing happened today. A girl called me not pretty... because my skin isn't white. That's not the sad part, I can deal with racism -- the sad thing is she's 6 years old.

"It's sad because when I was 6, all I was worried about was what my Barbie dolls would wear. I don't recall judging someone by skin color. My Barbies were all colors from all different parts of the world.

"I was taken aback by what this little girl said. So taken off guard that I couldn't get upset. I just sat quietly. She said I'm ugly because my skin is brown. I didn't know what else to say. She's 6 and this is her mindset already."

My response was this: "Prejudice is not natural; it is taught to kids. I pray for that child and her family. Imagine all the hate that must exist in that home. How can someone truly be happy and experience God's unconditional Love with all that hate?"

~ ESA

Debate Part 1 - Politics

While I put my twitter account on hiatus, I do check my DM messages. I made the mistake of reading and responding to a blogpost someone sent me. The blogpost spoke vehemently against US Presidential  candidate Mitt Romney, comparing him to Hitler and calling him the antiChrist. Why? Because Romney is Mormon.

*sigh*

I started my response by saying I don't prefer to discuss politics. My political point of view runs along these lines:

• I chose to be "Independent" because I had to choose some party when I registered and I wanted neither Democratic nor Republican. Sadly, Joe Lieberman (a Republican wolf in sheep's clothing) switched to the "Independent" party when he lost the Republican primaries one year. Now I search for another non-affiliate party. 
• The leader we choose should be chosen not based on the group affiliations, the amount of money he has (or raises for the political campaign), nor the color of his skin, but by the content of his (or her) character.
• I believe strongly we should have a legitimate "None of the Above" option on voting ballots - from President to Town Clerk. Too often we are left to decide who is the "lesser of the two (or more) evils." If we could vote "None of the Above" and force those who parley for our attention and votes to get out of the way, perhaps better choices would rise. Or perhaps politicians would spend more time resolving real issues and spending less time campaigning.
• I believe strongly that ANY political leader who has any say in a budget should live on minimum wage for at least 5 years - without using any savings (including a mortgage-free home) and without breaking any laws, including "working under the table" (cash only, no income taxes). In all honestly, those who manage to live as such at or below poverty level have a MUCH better sense in how to budget than those who can loose a few thousand dollars without a concern.
• I believe we should eliminate the Electoral College in America. That was established when it took weeks to send a message and the country was far smaller. Now, every single vote should count.
• I also believe that EVERY American 18 years or older should have the right to vote. Sadly, there are parts of this country where people are no longer allowed to vote - even though they are legitimate US Citizens. The laws require the people have certain ID's (like a State issued Driver's License). Not everyone drives. Even the State issued, non-license ID's cost a great deal of money. If you had to choose to vote once per year or eat for a month, which would you choose? Sadly, that is a decision some are forced to make. Then, there are the homeless. Whether these people reside in a temporary homeless shelter, live in their car or are in a cardboard box on the street, they can not obtain these ID's for they do not have a legitimate "home" address. Even if they have a Post Office Box to receive the mail, the laws clearly indicate that is not good enough to obtain the "proper ID" needed to vote. Many of our poor are unable to vote in our election systems.

Sadly, I also believe that no matter how strong the moral character a leader has, it will be SORELY tried in the viperous den of DC... There are very strong influences to protect what they have built there, and way too many corporations have strings tied to the politicians.

• Thus I also believe there should be no corporate campaign contributions. There should also be a law stating that those who contribute can NOT influence decisions after the election. Oh, how quickly campaign dollars would dry up if that came to fruition.

Did you know that when America was founded, those who were its first Senators and House Representatives were VOLUNTEERS! Yes, they did not receive a penny (or even half-penny) for their work. They did so because they loved their country. That is why politicians have so much vacation time; that was when they were to go back home to work on their farms and businesses to earn a living for their families. Now they earn millions, have full-paid benefits that most of us can only dream about, including extravagant health-care while millions go without it, and even paid room and board while they "work" in DC.

- ESA

Forgiveness and Fight

This post is predominantly a response to a tweet I received last night. I had tweeted a rhyme about forgiveness; the response was "Forgiveness in my heart towards my enemies, yes; with Love & a Pure Heart. Forgiveness in court for their crimes, no. #Justice" This initially left me with a lack for words; I realized a tweet was not going to accurately convey what I wish to say. So I will reply here.

One of my favorite sayings is "Humanity asks God why He allows all these bad things to happen; God may be asking Humanity the same question." We are no longer children; we have a responsibility: to help one another. Where there is darkness, we need to bring light; this applies to correcting social injustices, not just "bringing them the Word."

Then there is the command to Love one another and Forgive each other. Where does that apply? All cases, all times, all situations. Does that mean we let "criminals get off free" and continue the acts we are trying to stop? Not exactly...

Forgiveness works at a different level than the guilty/innocent determinations of the court systems. As any good lawyer can tell you, things can be manipulated and presented to the best possible advantage to your case - whether that is beneficial to all or just one. Court and the laws apply determinations based on he actions and consequences that have taken place.

Forgiveness involves the people. Forgiveness' primary function is opening doors, not drawing lines. We are asked to look into the heart of the person, not just the mind. We are asked to continue to love them, not let our anger turn into hate. When we look upon another with anger or hate, we see actions, not the person. We may not even see actions correctly. Lawyers aren't the only ones to manipulate; our emotions do this too. When we look through the eyes of hatred, we see an enemy: someone to hurt, someone to harm, someone to stop and PUNISH. With hatred in our hearts, our perception WILL be skewed; this is basic psychology as well as spiritually founded.

Instead we are called to love them, to listen to them and find the root cause of the situation, then follow through and find positive resolutions. This may include following through with the punishment, the consequences for their actions. But, very sadly, too many stop there. They punish the person and never follow through with fixing the social causes that lead to the action.

For example, in my town, there was a young man that was arrested, convicted and went to jail for larceny - three times in a row, one right after the other. Many who hear this fact would right away turn a cold heart toward that criminal. He obviously did not learn the lesson! He should be thrown in jail permanently! Right?

Now I will divulge some more information in this case. He robbed a supermarket - the same supermarket, the only supermarket in walking distance to his residence. He had no car. He did not rob the cashier; he was convicted of shoplifting. What did he take? The first time was a canister of baby formula. The second time was formula and some small jars of baby food. The third time was a box of generic cereal commonly given to toddlers.

Do you see the pattern?

This young man did not have a job to pay for the items. With a criminal record from the first conviction, he was likely turned down a number of times. But ... he was trying to feed his CHILD! Why did he have to resort to theft? There are social services in place for that right? Well... The first time someone applies for food stamps or assistance, they are turned down flatly - that's the policy. One actually has to know the "game" to use the right terms, fill out the right forms and follow up with the right people. If you don't know the game, you loose. And they don't publish the rules.

Then there are several other factors. There are no social service locations in this town. Public transportation between towns is rare to non-existent. Without a car, one cannot access them. Plus as a father (instead of a mother) it is harder for him to access the services needed to care for a child. It's not a policy; but, sadly, it is a practice.

I don't know what happened to this young man or the child. The local paper stopped reporting after the third conviction. Three strikes and you're out, I suppose... Apparently not enough people cared, for I have seen little changes in the local social structures except to close more locations in the state due to "budget cuts."

Is this the case of all criminal activity around the globe? Certainly not. But if we are truly to Love one another and Forgive, we are also responsible to find the root cause of the activity. Why does it exist? What supports it?

If we did not glamorize the criminal side in movies/TV or let our starlets, corporate heads or politicians get away with actions the minimum-wage workers would not, perhaps the lure would not be so strong. Plus I bet if one were to follow every possible line of connections leading up to criminal activity, they would find not only hearts feeding on greed and hatred, they would also find people who find themselves in desperate situations, ones where they see no other option BUT to turn to the criminal side of society.

Follow these lines; help the desperate. Pray for the Lost. Fix the problems. Too often we punish those we find guilty and sweep the rest under the carpet, forgotten... And like mold in a damp corner, it will only continue to grow into yet more problems involving more people.

We need to not only light the dark corners of our world; we need to open doors so others find another path, starving the serpent that feeds on them.

It is not easy.
But it is worth it.

-ESA

Home for the Holiday

It is sad when there are so many dividing lines in the world. When I stumble across the ones in my own life, I sit back and wonder why they are even there. As I have just mentioned to someone on Twitter, while I was raised Christian, I grew up in a Jewish neighborhood. So wishing others a Happy Hanukkah did not seem wrong to me at all... until I was accused of possibly trying to convert them to Christianity.

*Sigh*

The home where I was raised had a Mezuzah beside the door, like every other house in my neighborhood. It was there when we first moved in. When my dad explained what was inside, it reminded me of the words I read in our Old Testament. No biggie - same writing / same God.

While we were one of three families with tree and Christmas lights, in a neighborhood of over 300, I wondered why we didn't have a Menorah glowing in our front window like all the rest. It was explained that we were Christian, not Jewish. That was the first dividing line.

Around our Easter celebration, I actually looked forward to matzo in the supermarket - I used to nibble them row-by-row as a child for a snack. There was also my neighbor's famous matzo ball soup when we sat down to the Passover Seder with them, unless it fell on Easter, at which point we had family gatherings for our holiday that day. Another fine dividing line.

In December, there were many craft and holiday flea markets held selling goods. My mom was a shop-a-holic. So after-school we were dragged to many different places to attend these events. They were many in the local temples, one at our Catholic school in the gym, and one in a parish hall from a Mormon Church. While I and my siblings towed behind my mother from table to table at these events, I had plenty of time to examine the stuff that hung from the walls. I can't read Hebrew, nor could I then. So I asked my mother about the writing in symbols that looked closer to Chinese in my young eyes than the Greco-Roman letters in which I read/write. She explained they were Hebrew and that is what the Jewish teachings were written in. We don't speak or read it because we were not Jewish. Another dividing line.

When I was still in grade school (where I attended Catholic school from grades 1-8), I received my Confirmation. Friends of ours attended it, even though they were not Christian. We also attended their Bar/Bat Mitzvahs too. In fact, several of our class trips in the later grades were to the temple to learn about Judaism. While I heard rumors that the Hebrew grade school did the same as part of a cooperative program with our Church, the majority of the kids in our area attended public school. They found our ceremonies strange and bizarre while we had some vague notion of what theirs were about. After all, Jesus, the focus of our own religious education, had celebrated Jewish holidays and practiced Jewish customs. But my neighbors understood little about our customs and holidays. Another dividing line.

High school wasn't fun for me; I attended an all-girl Catholic Academy. But unlike grade school, I had to take two school buses. I was picked up by the local high-school bus, that rounded up ALL the high-school children in the area - public, Catholic and Hebrew schools. The majority of the public school kids were Jewish. While there was more than one Catholic high school kids in my town attended, overall, in our neighborhood, we made up less than 10% and had to wear these atrocious uniforms. I believe the Hebrew school had uniforms or a dress-code too, but they were not as glaringly obvious as the plaid skirts, ties and school color blazers and sweaters with the school emblems on them. A very obvious dividing line.

We ALL were dropped off at the public school. Then the public school kids went inside (or at least had to be inside by the first bell). The rest of us stood outside as our second bus would travel from town-to-town picking up the kids for our respective high school. While this may have made sense to some administrator, it was torture for us. We had to wear clothes that distinguished us as "separate" from the others, and we were major targets for bullies, teasing and bad-mouthing both on the bus and at the public high school. Why? Because we were not Jewish. They outnumbered us; we were supposed to always forgive, so they assumed there would be no retaliation as well. We had no other way to get to our school; we had to share the ride on "their" bus. At the public school, we had to stay put while they had the opportunity to walk away when they wanted to. They would ask: Why were we living in the neighborhood anyway? It was a JEWISH neighborhood! Christians were not welcome. Even the local "Y" was a YMHA, not a YMCA.

Why were we there? My father worked hard for a living, went to night school to get a law degree and then worked long hours in "the city" (New York City) to earn a good enough living to have a big house in a nice neighborhood for his family. There was no application indicating what religious affiliation we had to have to buy the house. That would be illegal - this is America, home of religious freedom. Right? The other Christians we knew had homes half the size or smaller. Why could we not live in that neighborhood in a big house for a big family?

In the years to follow, I observed further divisions. It was OK to have friends across that religious line. It may even be acceptable to date across the dividing line, if someone better is not available. But one would never assume it's OK to marry across the dividing line... "Think of the kids; they would be confused," was an argument I heard many times - from both sides of the fence. Yet it's the same God...

*Sigh* That was three to four DECADES ago: over a generation.

I don't hold grudges; I am called not to. What was in the past stays in the past - as it should! Hate and division only begets hate, war and violence. None of which I want.

Times have changed, thankfully for the better. In my lifetime, I have seen a growing acceptance across many lines - race, religious and sexual preferences being predominant. There has become a stronger division in political and income lines in these past few years, though. My heart longs to see these reversed too...

I followed my mom back to Long Island Monday, as we are visiting with friends and family here this week as part of our holiday travel. On the way we stopped at the local strip mall to pick up a few items. In the large window before me, the local florist had a winter-scape display with a large menorah predominantly at the center with the correct number of candles aglow. Tuesday at the bowling alley as we were heading out the door, I spied the manager turning the bulb to "light" the last candle as sunset dimmed an already rainy afternoon. I am still a Christian and will always be, but these sights made me feel like "home for the holiday" more than I can express, as much as the scent of a freshly decorated Christmas tree.

We are all brothers and sisters in this world. One race, one humanity. Why do we keep dividing ourselves?

-ESA

Fears to Cheers

The death of Osama bin Laden has been on the news of late and a radio station I listen to even had a discussion on what our reaction should be. I had mixed feelings and searched through some tweets and blog posts to see what others thought. Some I would like to share:

RT @NiraMe: "Mommy, why are they celebrating someone being killed?"

That hit me hard with the truth behind it. When the twin towers of the World Trade Center fell, the media showed some parts of the world celebrating the death of Americans, whom they considered the enemy. We shook our heads at their disgraceful behavior. Why do some Americans now behave the same way, when our declared enemy falls? Are we any different?

I think my feelings are best reflected by these words, which many have posted around the net:

I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. ~Jessica Dovey

Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that. ~Martin Luther King, Jr.

My own words cannot outshine
The famous quotes
In the above lines

- ESA