Oh My God
As a child I never thought about the words I was reciting when, with the rest of the classroom, I mumbled, sometimes stumbled, over the words of the Pledge of Allegiance. If you’ve read the news today (oh boy), you’ll have most certainly read about the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a 1954 decision that put “under God” into the pledge. It went on to say that it violated the separation of church and state, and was, therefore, unconstitutional.
I don’t recite the Pledge of Allegiance. It’s not because I’m ashamed to be American, or anything of the sort. I just don’t feel that my God likes to have his name attached to much of anything, especially something that would alienate people that don’t believe in the Judeo-Christian idea of her. I don’t preach to people about my spiritual beliefs unless prompted to do so. I don’t try and convert people to the Temple of Brad, which is actually the Temple of Everyone. I do, however, have a problem with people using God’s name to hurt other people, and that includes feeling alienated.
I suppose that it’s ultimately up to the individual that may feel alienated to take responsibility for their own emotions. In other words, if you feel alienated by the Pledge of Allegiance, don’t feel alienated. Just because you don’t believe in the God that President Eisenhower or Congress had in mind when they added the words, doesn’t mean you are any less American that someone who does. They are just words. Change the words or keep them the same, but I think there are far more important issues to deal with.
You can argue that the pledge is as American as apple pie, but so what? It’s also American to stuff your face at McDonald’s or drive SUVs in major metropolitan areas. Does it make it right? Not in my book, but again, I do my best not to judge. What is right for me is not right for everyone and that’s fine. The problem lies in people being unaccepting of beliefs that are different from their own, which also happens to be a common American trait.
Truth be told, I kind of hope that I live to see our own demise. If I don’t, perhaps your children will. I’m of the opinion that we’re doomed, and I’m not talking about us all going to pearly gates or the fiery depths. I’m talking about the fact that people do not, and it seems, will not, change to better our time on this planet. For that reason, we will be responsible for our own extinction. Until people wake up, and it’s going to take more than a couple of airplanes flying into buildings and killing three thousand people to do it, we will continue in a downward spiral. It’s not about nationalism, it’s about humanism.
I still have hope that humans can change, but not much. None of it really matters anyway. We’re just a drop in the bucket. We don’t matter as much as we would like to think. Life will go on without us. Perhaps the next time around we will not repeat the mistakes. We will not be so self-centered, ignorant, intolerant and hateful to people with different ideas, skin color, sexual preference, etc. Perhaps the next time around we can embrace diversity, for the world would be a better place. Have a nice day.
