THE SOUL OF AMERICA
Where has it gone?
During the course of my life I’ve grown up with people that would say, “Don’t do that. If you do you will be just as bad as they are. You’re better than that.” Now that I’m older, I can see the fallacy in that reasoning - at least to my way of thinking, anyway. You do not want to bring yourself down to their level. So it was.
In today’s world, even back then, I believe this way of thinking and acting just emboldened the person you are in contact with. These people are trying to ‘push your buttons’ to see how far you will let them go. Some do it because they know no one will say or do anything. Why should they follow the rules? Rules do not apply to them, so they think. Some just don’t even think about it. They are in a world all their own.
Let’s take for example the person in front of you at the no-more-than-10-items check-out line in the grocery store. You notice that their cart has in excess of 10 items. Do you say anything? Does the check-out person say anything? Oh! What the heck, don’t get involved. They’re just showing their ignorance. To you they may be ignorant. To them, they got away with it and got out of the store without regard for anyone else.
This one example may sound trivial but in the big picture how many people get away with things every day by not following the rules? This issue is becoming more of a problem every day. There are those that don’t want to or don’t like following rules. And what about those that don’t say anything for fear of looking like the bad guy? If you don’t say anything are you just as bad? Realize that there are times, and it has happened, that the person that says something gets applause for sticking up for the rights of others. Sure, you don’t want to stand out. This is exactly what the ignorant are praying on. They are taking advantage of the meek.
This is the crux of the problem. No one wants to stand out in the crowd. No one wants to be assertive and speak up for the rest. How sad our country has become. If our founders were timid there would be no United States of America. If they saw us today and how timid we’ve become in standing up for our rights and the rights of others they would be ashamed, and rightly so. We are losing our rights every day because we have become timid - complacent. We have lost our SOUL.
Why shouldn’t we fight back against wrongs and injustices no matter when or where it happens? I remember the days when we were told that if confronted by a criminal give him your wallet, your car and to relax and enjoy it if it came to that. This thinking was wrong than and it’s wrong now. Our complacency in years past has led us to the position we find ourselves in today. I for one will not let matters go by if I see something wrong. We all need to start speaking out against all the wrongs we see around us. Political correctness is killing us.
We are afraid to say certain words or phrases because of what it conjures up in the minds of others. I’m ‘white’, Italian and second generation born proud American. I am NOT an Italian American. I AM AN AMERICAN. I’m proud of what my grandparents accomplished. They followed the rules and came here legally through Ellis Island. My grandfather died before I was born but I know he opened a grocery store on a corner in Philadelphia. My grandmother died when I was 13 but during those years I knew she (they) were proud to be here, proud to now be American. They had SOUL. They knew what they wanted and struggled to achieve it. Whatever obstacle they encountered they overcame it.
Although my grandparents did not outwardly show religious beliefs, some how I knew through my grandmothers actions that strong beliefs resided in her. It was the way she acted and treated my dad and the rest of her 10 children. She cared for me and my cousins with undying devotion. Her concern for our physical and emotional well-being was unforgettable. My grandmother had SOUL.
The picture above has SOUL - The undying love for family and friends.
This soldier has SOUL - His outward expression for the loose of a friend.
This soldier has SOUL. God, grant him the strength and courage to continue on.
This soldier has SOUL. The feelings one has for others and the loose of life, especially of children.
No greater love has any man than to give up his life for a friend. THESE SOLDERS HAVE SOUL.
God, grant each of them the wisdom, the fortitude, the knowledge, the courage to continue on and carry out their job to victory. Bring them home safely.
Above all God, please let them keep the SOUL you gave them until their days end with devotion to you and country. In addition, please God, give the rest of us at home a SOUL that we may carry on our fight here in defense of our country to remain free, as you would wish us.
“The love of liberty is interwoven in the soul of man, and can never be totally extinguished. However irrational, ungenerous, and unsocial the love of liberty may be in a rude savage, he is capable of being enlightened by experience, reflection, education, and civil and political institutions.” Samuel Adams
Thank you,
Joe Grisafi
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