"In the beginning..."

14OCT08
“In the beginning…”
America.
America has been known as a place of freedom, fulfillment, hope and pride. America has grown into a living entity embodying the elements that produced this Divine experiment called Democracy. America grew into a culture and society where ambition, creativity, enthusiasm, and national identity unified people from around the world under her name. America possessed an inner purpose that flowed like an unstoppable epidemic across this great land as the Divine touched the very hearts of those who made America to rise above the shame of slavery, civil war, isolationalism and prejudice. America grew into the envy of every nation on Earth. America because of her combined purpose subdued her frontiers, stabilized the world during two world wars and blocked the spread of godless regimes. America has stood as one united undefeatable force as the world fought Communism, Fascism and Imperialism. America schooled its children, provided living wages for its work force, created a standard of medical health care and life style that was emulated around the globe. The core of what and who makes up America has become synonymous with the very concept of freedom and that has bolstered its men and women into a military force second to no other nation on the globe. This vision of what makes America great led its earliest leaders to sacrifice their very lives and livelihood as they placed their signatures on the Constitution of the United States of America,
“ We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America”
Personal opinion and political differences will always be a part of any two people. Yet, even during those times when we have nearly split ourselves apart, the core of what makes America great comes through. Abraham Lincoln spoke to that very core at Gettysburg,
“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
Once again America appears to be heading toward another challenge to its core beliefs and conviction. America has attempted to appease all and by this appears to be in danger of diluting itself into fragmented identities. As one cannot make cold wax flow and mold into one so can no nation expect the same of honoring all national cultures, ethnic identities, religious ideologies, moral persuasions or political agendas. America we must re-focus our attention back to our basic and core identity without diluting our national moral convictions of what is good for the whole of the people not merely the fragmented few. America, as we enter this 21st Century we must move forward without losing sight of our moral compass.
America, look at who we are in this 21st Century. We have allowed “In God we trust” to be stamped on our money but won’t allow him in our lives. We hold our athletes, politicians and preachers to moral standards but want entertainment filled with corruption, drugs, murder, nudity, vice, violence and vulgarity. America, we have invited the rest of the world to mock us as well as the very concept of the God who we claim designed us into being a nation. It is because of our moral laxity and decadent excesses that some fear our expanding influence into their culture.
America, we are still “The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.” America, we still possess the most productive farmland and given the opportunity, our people have a work ethic that can outwork the people of any other nation. America, we still possess a strength that makes even those who hate us run and hide in caves to strike at innocent civilians as we stand together; we have proved that as recently as 9/11. But America, we’ve allowed our divisiveness, our excesses, our special interests, our addictions to comfort and ease to dim our vision of national unity and because of that we have allowed ourselves be side tract.
America, someday each of us will leave this world and it is what we leave behind that will proclaim our legacy into the future. We will answer for what we have or haven’t done. I believe what “The Good Book” says about reaping what we sow and that is enough for us all to get back on course.
However, some may need just a little more encouragement to get back on course. Some do not want to listen to a preacher or a politician but they fear the concept of “The Reaper” coming, knowing that when he does, he will hand in his final report to Someone higher than himself. Until then, just consider this to be “THE GRIMM REAPER REPORT.”
THE GRIMM REAPER REPORT © 14 OCT 2008
http://the-grimm-reaper-report.blogspot.com/