- EDITORIAL
- Remember, a beautiful life is merely prayer in motion, and a world without prayer has no center to it. God bless us all.
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Wyoming Tragedy
- Dear Friends,
- Occasionally I have something to say about the staus of the world in general, and ca't keep my mought closed when I hear about hate crimes, racist issues, and poor treatment of children. With this in mind, I've asked our webmaster to put up these words in an editorial page.
- As I sit here wanting to say these things, I can't keep myself from weeping, after watching the news and reading the newspaper. Today, more information about the young man in Laramie, Wyoming. He was left to the elements on a deserted road for nearly an entire day, after being beaten, clubbed, whipped, and tied to a barb-wired fence like a scarecrow. He was found the day after the assault by bicyclists going down the road, barely alive. He was flown to the hospital where he remained in critical condition for 5 days. He died this morning. 2 young men and 2 young women, almost children themselves, have been arrested in connection with his assault and subsequent death.
- What was the reason for his assault, what was his crime deserving of such violation of his body and spirit?
- He was gay.
- His lifestyle didn't meet with the standards of a particular group of people. It wasn't the environment, because Laramie, Wyoming has it's share of homosexual men and women, many of whom were stunned at the hate oriented crime. Perhaps it was that he was not a large person, and an easy target. Perhaps he looked at one of the assailants with a smile, a wave of the hand, a bright face, or even just a passing glance. In any event, someone too some kind of offense to this person's very existence, and chose to snuff out the candle of this young man's life. By all accounts, he was a creative person, a well liked artist, and willing to get involved in social and community affairs. While I never knew this young man, I know hundreds like him, and know of thousands more. And I know that EVERYONE has something to contribute to this world.
- For this reason, I weep, at not only his family's loss, not only at the hate that motivated his death, but for our loss, for the things that we will never know because of his violent erasure. I weep for those that have gone without choice, for reasons of racism, such as the young black man that was dragged behind a truck in Texas last spring. And for the infant that was left to die in a dresser drawer because the young mother didn't want her parents to know of her pregnancy.
- All of this tells me that we are failing as a society, as mothers, fathers, teachers, friends, and communities. We are not teaching our children correct principles of love, tolerance, acceptance, and fear. An ignorant person is a fearful one. And a fearful person will strike out at the unkonwn, much like a cornered animal. We cannot afford ignorance. We cannot afford to continue to allow television and a heavily taxed school system to be responsible for the upbringing of our children. We cannot afford to allow our children to go out into the world ignorant of other lifestyles, societies, religions, or cultures. It is this ignorance and fear that nearly drove indigenous Peoples here in America to extinction less than 100 years ago.
- Spend time with your children, not just watching television, but asking them questions about their world. As a presenter in the drug and alcohol field, I assure you, the world they live in and perceive is MUCH different than yours, and they have opinions that are valid. Learn how they feel about other cultures, races, and political issues. Ask their opinions on nearly anything, and most often, even a 6 year old will offer some perspective never viewed by an 'educated' adult. Life is simple for them, true; but only simply by your standards and not theirs.
- If we don't teach our children correct principles, that all that moves is sacred, that all living things are human, and that all things deserve the most basic level of respect, then we'll not only see people persecuted for their sexual preferences and race in the future, we'll have individuals being persecuted for the way they comb their hair, the kinds of shoes they wear, and for the music they listen to. Creativity will cease out of fear. Fear is the greatest tool that evil wields. Fear is the means by which wars are begun. Education is the key to destroying fear. We don't have to love or even like someone to accept them. I don't like vegetables, I don't like strong perfume, and I don't like many other things in the world around me. Yet I also recognize that there are many who might not approve of, or like all I do as well. And just as I know my perspective has merit, as much as I might hate to admit it, so does theirs. Only by knowing of the dark can we know of light, and only by knowing of hot, can we know cold. There must be balance in all things, even opinions and lifestyles. I'm not commenting on the validity of gays, lesbians, rich people, poor people, black people, white people, homeless people, or any other lifestyle, race, or culture. I'm commenting on the fact that all are creations of our Creator, God, and Supreme Being, and therefore have an inalieable right to exist, with or without your or my approval. When you reduce things to their most common denominator, as 5-fingered humans, we are all the same. WE ARE ALL THE SAME!
- It stops with you. It stops with me. In a world where everyone is screaming about yours, mine, ours, theirs, we must at some point take responsibility. You cannot afford to have me keep my mouth shut when a crime occurs, even if it's at the peril of my name. I must speak, and I pray that when you see an injustice, you speak too. Take back our world, by spending less time on the internet, less time in front of the television, and more time with your children, neighbors, and friends. Become a part of your community, and allow your community to become a part of you. We can all better live together, if we only become more aware of what we have in common, rather than what differences there are. If we don't take responsibility and teach our children to speak up and do the right things, to learn tolerance, then we are just as responsible for that young man's death as the actual assailants. We don't own the future of our world, we borrow it from our children.
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HAND IN HAND, TAKE A STAND!! FOR GOODNESS. GO OUT AND DO SOMETHING GOOD FOR SOMEONE AROUND YOU....
