I ask myself, what have I done to my world(society), my home(earth), my family(future generation). I was reading an article on the Austin American Statesman by a man named Jonah Goldberg, who writes about why he is anti-abortion. The bottom line was that he is not sure about when fetuses are truly human beings and being unsure makes him not want to take the chance of killing an unborn human being.
This article started it all for me this morning. After reading that I began thinking about everything that I have strong feelings about. For example global warming, abortion, and war.
This is not to say that these are the only things that take time in my thoughts. But when I think about global warming and recall the stupid and the ignorant things we all have done at one time or another I can’t help it but feel guilt. I remember that some time ago leaving the bank a group of college students came up to me and asked me for a few minutes of my time to talk about our environment. I thought to myself, “I really don’t have time” as I said “No, I’m sorry” and walked straight past them and into my car. Maybe if I would have listened with an open mind then…….maybe, just maybe things would be a tiny bit different. I look around and see that the awareness of global warming is starting to see more alive but is it enough. The members of my family are doing our share by buying fuel efficient vehicles, sharing a vehicle when possible, using energy efficient bulbs, using fans in every room, turning lights off when not needed and things like that but then I look around and see what our community, local government and federal government are doing or better said “not doing” I get discouraged. I don’t give up but I loose faith in our society. I only hope that we are not too late and that we can still know that our children and our children’s’ children would see the beautiful things we’ve seen nature give us.
Then is the abortion issue. I believe that there are a few reasons why a woman should have the choice to terminate a pregnancy in the early weeks. For example, if it would threaten her life, conception following rape and things like that but even then I think it should be done on a case by case basis. I think that people in general should be held accountable for the mistakes they make. If a teenage girl wants to have sex and gets pregnant, this is not a reason she should have an abortion. If she opened her legs, let her be responsible for ‘her mistake”. If we continue to give our kids a way out by giving them permission and rights, they will never learn the lesson. Instead I think we should teach them about being responsible and owning up when a mistake is made. Lets teach our kids how important a life is and what a huge responsibility it is to bring a child into this world, maybe then they would think twice about having unprotected sex.
When a wife is being unfaithful to her husband and becomes pregnant outside her marriage and society says, “You have the right to get ride of the evidence of your unfaithfulness.” What really are we gaining? You may think that I am going overboard but It is really hard for me to think that a faithful wife, responsible teenager, loving mother would ever be pro-abortion. I just can’t help to think of these people as being unfaithful wives, irresponsible teenagers and people that don’t like to go to restaurants and hear a family at the next table with 3 very happy and goofy kids have a nice family day out. But like I said, I also believe that there should be help for those who get raped and conceive and those loving mothers that find out after their second child that her life is threaten if she goes thru with a pregnancy and there is a chance of leaving her husband and her two young children without a mother.
Life is so precious, one only needs to think about the things we have seen and experienced within one week to know that. The beautiful trees, the breeze, the sun going down, a child’s’ laugh, a mothers’ song, the face of a new father, wrinkles on the face of a loved grandmother. Why would anyone deprive anyone else from those things. We don’t have that right. We don’t have the right from terminating anyone from having the chance to Life.
Now, the war issue is a long time coming. We, and by that I mean the human race have been at war for many reasons in our history. Some reasons have been political, money, hate, religion, freedom, ignorance and in small occasions to defend. Politicians now a days go to war so that their pockets can get bigger no matter how many lives are lost. In our history, hate and religion have played a role. We have also seen freedom and ignorance. There is the political reasons, “Well my sugar Daddy nation is at war with this other country, I have nothing against them but I’ll go to war against them as well so that my sugar Daddy is happy”.
The only war I think should ever be fought is to defend. To defend our family, our lives not favor from other nations or potential wealth or our egos. But unfortunately this is the one that is not fought.
Why then, do we allow wars? I have a theory! I think wars start inside ourselves. When we don’t treat others like we should. When we assume the worse in others. When we are ignorant about other cultures, religions, races, and status. When we have not learned to say “I am sorry please forgive me” or “This is my fault, I will fix it”. When we refrain ourselves from seeing beyond our immediate circle and forget about our brothers and sisters around the world. You see, if we all thought of human beings as brothers and sisters maybe then we would sympathized, forgive and understand each other for who we are. Accept the fact that we are all different, speak different language and have a different way of seeing things, maybe then our differences would not bother us as much or make us uncomfortable.
I saw a movie once. It was called “Pay it forward” I believe. It was basically doing good things for people you meet and hoping that they would pay going forward and doing good things to those they meet and so on. You may think it’s cheesy, but it really isn’t. Have you ever done something simple for someone but meant so much for that person? Has someone done something for you that was a life saver? How did it make you feel? It makes me feel wonderful to know that I was at the right place at the right time. Wouldn’t it be nice to be that person everywhere you go? The person that is at the right place at the right time every time. What if we all were that person?
Only then would Love, Peace, Safety, Freedom, Family, Health and a Future mean so much more then the definitions of these words imply.
If we all realized that we are the ones that make up society, that own the earth, and that our future generations are in our hands maybe then there would be change. The vast ocean holding such powerful strength is contained by one grain of sand at a time. One by one we can all make a change for our future and stop the problems which are the same issues that our fathers faced once and for all.
vegetable garden in our house. In "trying" to organize myself, I came across this picture of the only watermelon we were able to grow the first summer we had our garden. 