Witnessing De-Americanization

If you are anything like me, you know how disheartening it is to be bombarded day after day by snippets on the news, twitter links, editorials, and the general course of discussions at the water cooler. Right now, I am listening to all sides arguing the big TERRY JONES hoopla. May I please say that our only hope to exist peacefully as the free nation we purport to be, is to remember that we are founded on the basis of tolerance.

The simple truth?

As a country, we have lost our way. Groups rally around a common idea and instead of celebrating that idea, they attack others who do not share it.

Religion and Government are twisted up in an incestuous dance, and it's time to untangle that. People in this country are forgetting the main attributes of any peaceful, free, and upstanding society - we have rights as human beings, and we have rights bestowed upon us by elected officials. We need to remember that as a tolerant nation, we MUST allow EVERYONE the freedom to feel, worship, dance, learn, and every other thing AS WE SEE FIT for ourselves, WITHIN the confines of public safety and the concept of harming no fellow humans or our earth.

It's important to put ourselves in the position of other people at all times. If I were a Christian, I should be thinking about what it would be like to be of Muslim faith, or Jewish faith, or even an Atheist. These perspectives should ground us, and remind us to be tolerant and respectful of all other beliefs. Don't like Hip-Hop? Another person might not like yyour Frank Sinatra albums. This does not mean you are not both the same at your fundamental core. You need to eat, breathe, sleep, and search for happiness.

I will stop the preachy tone now. It's not my style - but this buisness of burning to Koran and the intolerance surrounding the mosque in NYC has me so worried about the future of our country and our planet. We have to be aware that our action ripple out and impact others. One book burned in this case could be enough hatred to inspire retribution attacks that will fan the flames for further hatred and violence. Why a man in this country feels the need to burn a book that he holds no belief in, to incite those who hold it dear as he would his own bible, baffles me. Why can he not see this? What would he feel if the roles were reversed and a small church not affiliated with any others decided to burn bins of bibles? There would be an uproar. Why should we not expect this? My hope is that those who follow the Koran will have the stregnth and wisdom to see this stunt for what it is, and realize that more books can be printed, and to use their tolerance to defy this act, rather than feeding the flames of hatred. This applies to all things - religion, gender, race, sexual orientation, your favorite color - etc. Accept that your preference for ANYTHING might not be shared by others, but it should be respected as you should respect theirs.

This is my hope. I'll leave you with some really great quotes, and wish all of you a peaceful, free, and interesting day, filled with questioning and tolerance. Namaste.


" I may disagree with what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
- Voltaire

"As fallible humans, we usually slip too far over one edge or the other - all wrath and judgment or all grace and love."
— Eric Wilson

"I remember one night at Muzdalifa with nothing but the sky overhead I lay awake amid sleeping Muslim brothers and I learned that pilgrims from every land--every color, and class, and rank; high officials and the beggar alike--all snored in the same language."
— Malcolm X

"There's bad apples in whatever way you want to group people - doesn't matter if it's religious, political or social. The big mistake is generalizing."
— Charles de Lint

"To extend religious freedom to people of all religious traditions, even though you may well disagree with their beliefs and/or practices. Having tolerance toward another religion does not require you to endorse that faith group's beliefs; it simply indicates your respect for its right to exist and for its member to hold different beliefs without being oppressed."
— www.religioustolerance.org

"It is now no more that toleration is spoken of, as if it was by the indulgence of one class of people, that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights. For happily the government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction - to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens."
— George Washington