Guest Column
Good Sabbath, my friends,
- Good Sabbath, my friends,
By Sanford Goodking - April 21, 2007
I shall extol Thee, forever
Though I shall live
Far short of forever
What shall I miss?
What I don't know
or
What I dream of?
This week's events were neither hope nor dream.
But multiplied by the unknown.
And, the fear that nourishes both.
Salem was not a university, but the lessons about fear launched there.
Where witches were hatched in the minds of ignorance. Fear is the puss of
inhumanity, the poison of hate and suspicion. Do we count civilization by
the numbers lost to ignorance and revenge?
Columbine-just eight short years ago--cost 15 lives of innocence. And 33
years before, when a mentally sick youngster, gathered up his guns-more
holy than God Himself- climbed a Texas University tower and shot dead 16
youngsters, and there was a Minnesota campus, and the Amish killed in
their schoolhouse. And when will we blame our own innocence and defense of
the killing machines "allowed" in the Constitution, to defend ourselves
against our own government (we the people). The true defenders are those
nurtured on our suspicion of our own government (of the people, by the
people, for the people).
And will it grow worse as we greet our future, where we selectively decide
whom we fear, which god we hate, which suspicion we nurture until it
becomes overpowering?
"Behold, the fear of God, that is wisdom:
And to depart from evil is understanding." (Job 28:12-20)
Do we have to fear before we love?
Do we have to understand evil before we can recognize goodness?
"Never does a man know the force that is in him till some mighty
affection or grief has humanized the soul." (F.W.Robertson)
"Great grief makes sacred those upon whom its hand is laid. Joy may
elevate; ambition, glorify, but only sorrow can consecrate." (Horace
Greeley)
Most (today) were not alive when JFK was assassinated. Most (today)
weren't alive when young Bobby was shot down. None (today) were alive when
Lincoln was killed. Each leaves lessons for the young who have only to
study the residue of evil and mental affliction.
If we substitute sadness for memory, then we progress not one inch.
It isn't just the parent who loses a child. It is
humanity that suffers most of all, if we will not learn the lesson of loss
and imagined persecution.
We reach out to forever remember and think out the lessons. For then we
learn about and better our tomorrows.
_____________________________________________________
Contact Sanford Goodkin at
sgoodkin@san.rr.com
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