Monday, May 20, 2013

A Nation in Constant Mourning

I have noticed over the past year that most flags have remained at half staff for the majority of the year. We jump from one tragedy to the next with  no break in between. This week a school shooting  the next a plant explosion, the next a tornado, the next a hurricane, and on and on it goes.Memorial day is soon approaching with yet another reason to stay in mourning. If lowering the flag signifies the distinction of a nation in mourning then America is a very sad place to live. I think there was only about 20 days last year that I saw all flags in town flying high. In some cases it was due to neglect such as the McDonald's that never remembers to raise it back up after an appropriate time. In other cases I think it has become more of a marketing scheme. All churches jump on any occasion to show how much they care. Businesses want to be known as sympathetic to draw in customers. Does this symbol mean anything anymore. There are 7 billion people in this world which makes the likelihood of tragedy very high. With that number of people I wonder that these catastrophic events are not even more frequent. When I hear my friend tell his story of fighting in Vietnam, or my mother and father in law telling of the Pol-pot  regime in Cambodia where millions died or my friend who grew up in Nazi Germany these modern tragedies seem small in comparison. Life is full of death and suffering and I think most people would do well to celebrate the good things in life and accept the risks that these good things come with. They would do well to stop worrying that they are the next one to suffer hardship. They would do well to focus on the good and not on he bad. They would do well to see what they still have after a loss. Who has not heard the inspirational story of those who have lost much and still celebrate life! They would do well to raise he flag and celebrate life and America. Thank God for each day no matter the circumstance knowing that even in hardship He is there and in control.

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