OUR NATION'S FUTURE
We are constantly being offered a wide variety of opinion in these early years of the 2lst Century. Just as we commonly do with the start of each New Year, we, on a somewhat larger scale, are doing the same thing – comparing the New Century to those which have gone before until it is old enough to acquire an identity of its own.
All is not peaceful and given to quietness, of course. Earth is seldom, if ever, the placid place some persons like to pretend it has been. Seldom, if ever, has there ever been a time of total absence of war among men. I see no reason why we need think our 2lst Century is going to be any different in that regard. The competitive nature of Man is an intrinsic part of his being and most often expressed in a need for superiority over other even if it takes some violent forms.
So it should not be a surprise to find we are in these early years of the New Century at war in several ways... a terrorist entanglement with unknown, unseen enemies as well as a war to rid Iraq of a dictator who has ruthlessly scorned all attempt to control his avarice
.
This particular Iraq war is taking place in an the area where our civilization first began to take on real meaning and much of it is historically connected to our religious sensibilities as well, in some strange ways. Some of these deep-seated animosities are apparent in surface factors; the deep hatred and distrust men hold for each other are apparent in the Mid-east, the Orient and in Ireland and other areas. From what we see and hear, we have become deeply concerned, but there are deeper troubles which we are, eventually, going to have to face up to intelligently and without social, religious and political rancor.
Carl Sagan, in his introduction to Stephen Harkins’ latest book made reference to a future about the place of..”God... or about the lack of God”.in our existence. Our racial, social,and political conventions and accomplishments are not enough; the use of religious, economic, social and political factors for gain in economic ,social and political sections of our lives, is, I think, wrong. And yet it is at the root of so many of the problems we have mentioned or to which we have alluded. Religion is ,too often, used as an excuse or alibi to justify actions which had little or nothing to do with religious concept of those concerned.
I have an insistent and growing feeling that we have, as a nation, surrounded ourselves with walls of religious barriers and even with our church church, if you can call the strange amalgam of ideas which range from sane and workable to weird and wild, by that term. In recent weeks, I have noted an indication of a disturbing complication in our religious and racial problems. A leading liberal newspaper in this country, last month allowed a columnist writing for their internationally respected pages a short item which seemed ,to me, to be a trial balloon to see what readers might think if someone suggested that Colin Powell had best be removed from his office as Secretary of State. The reason suggested was that, since we are now at war with Iraq, Powell’s diplomatic efforts were all ,obviously, wrong and that he should be removed from office. It is but one tiny mental step from that premise to say that Foreign Affairs advice to the President was also flawed and that Condollezza Rice should also be sacked. This form of party politics from the party which has at least two aspirants running as their candidate for President. The act seems be a rather a pitiful ploy designed to undercut blacks both specifically and generally. One thing America does not need right now is racial discrimination used politically by any party!
Our understanding of what the average Muslim believes is dismal. We insist they do not understand us. Both are correct, but nether of us is seriously attempting to overcome such an obvious lack of communication.
As we take stock of our present state just three years into the new century, it would appear that our most basic problem is going to be in the religious area.. The Arabic world has already declared a ”jehad” against all Christians, but how effective such world-wide war can be is questioned even by those who urge it.
Am I alone in thinking this way? I don’t think so, and the silence concerning the subject is scary.
A.L.M. March 31, 2003 [c775wds]
