It is again time that I
address an issue that defines my attitude about what it means to be an
American. The upsetting events occurring in this country during the
past three months demand my response.
Sometimes it is a small
thing that upsets the ‘angle of repose’ of something precariously placed or
balancing, such as a boulder on a hillside, or a nation on the cusp of engaging
in bitter and destructive culture wars—even another civil war. Repose
is broken when some event breaks the friction and the boulder starts sliding or
rolling. That, in turn, starts other rocks and soil or snow to break
loose and soon you have an avalanche that affects everything in its path. You
have a catastrophe. A ‘tipping point’ has been reached and things start to
fall. The phenomenon used to be called the ‘straw that broke the
camel’s back.’
For me it happened this
morning when I went for a walk with my wife. We were admiring the
neat and tidy homes that were flying the American Flag on this day of
celebrating America’s independence –a day of fine traditions and shows of
patriotism and appreciation for our country and for those who
established it and those who have for nearly 250 years preserved it. We spoke
of the founding fathers, and the men and women who fought to defend it, and
those who have put themselves in harm’s way such as medical personnel and
firefighters and the police who are charged to enforce its laws. I expressed
that I was grateful to my God that I am a citizen of this great country and I
rehearsed in my mind the pledge of allegiance that I had said and heard so many
of thousands of times before, and I thought of the patriotic music that we have
traditionally heard and sung on this day in times past.
My repose was broken
when my mind suddenly reverted to just the previous day when my golf buddy and
I were driving through a high-class neighborhood admiring the American flags
displayed on many homes when my patriotic gratitude was suddenly shattered, for
on the gate of one home was displayed a large American flag hung upside down
with, in my mind, a diagonal red line cutting through it. It was an intentional
act of disrespect for this country and maybe even defiance and it pushed my
button as it did with the flag burnings of the 1960’s and ‘70’s.
It rudely brought me
back to the media news of the past 8-10 weeks with the violent protests and riots
and the pulling down by dissidents of the erstwhile symbols of the heroes and builders
of ‘America the beautiful.’
The destruction of art
was to me like the burning of books.
Increasingly we are
seeing acts of defiance and desecration and destruction by those who have not
defended, not consecrated, not contributed to or constructed much of
anything. They are not the builders, not the givers, not the
faithful, not those who have sacrificed much—even their own lives—but rather
the takers, the destroyers, the ignorant who know not the history of the rise
and fall of great nations and cultures and even of civilization itself, much
less the history of their own country. The French philosopher Michel de
Montaigne had it right: “Ignorance of one’s own ignorance is the malady of
the ignorant.”
Maybe even the current
viral epidemic that has brought the nations of the world to their knees is a
metaphor for how small, even microscopic, things can upset the ‘angle of
repose’ and sicken and kill a once-viable organism—even a nation. Such too are
self-inflicted destroyers of even their own lives as are pornography or food or
drug addicts. And it can be a lesson on how things spread and get
out-of-hand when people do not follow sensible guidelines—and how even the
innocent fall when those infected with a virus, or an addiction, or ignorance,
or hate are not contained.
But, on a positive note
it is well to remember that small things, sometimes, can also turn negative
events around. A kind word can calm a troubled heart; a pacific but
courageous spokesman such as a Mohandas Gandhi or a Martin L. King, or in a
much greater way, a Jesus Christ can move millions to a different and superior
way of life. A small immunization can prevent a life-threatening infection; a
single act of self-discipline in a crisis of the spirit can be the act that
brings about an inner victory; even a large ship can be turned about by a very
small rudder.
My response to the
desecrated flag incident this morning is this opinion piece. It is a
small thing, but I believe that “a word fitly spoken” (Proverbs 25:11), for
words are strong things, can do more, in the long run, than ripping the flag
off the gate, or pulling down the statue of a man who may have done some wrong
thing he later regretted; or burning or looting a business or participating in
a riot. For who is there who has not done something he wished he had not done,
but who has later repented and done much good? Or, ask yourself, Has
not this country done more good to more people over a longer period of time
than any country in the world, notwithstanding its current weakness and wickedness? If
you really know your history you will know this is true.
“He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at
her [or our country or its symbols]. / And they which heard it, being convicted
by their own conscience, went out one by one. . . even unto the last: and Jesus
was left alone [with] the woman” (John 8:7-11).
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