20 September 2016

Fortune Cookie's Take on Fear

I'm going to circle back to one of the fortunes I discussed in my 18 Sept. post: "There is no fear for one whose thought is not confused." I wrote a little metaphorical bit and referred to Franklin Delano Roosevelt's take on fear.

My thoughts are confused. I'm confused, afraid, and angered at police violence, the killing of so many African-American men and women. I bet everyone is confused. And it's right to be afraid, not only of the immediate consequences, but for our future as a supposedly united people.

And who decided you have to stand for the national anthem? The same folks who decided that I must start every school day pledging allegiance to the flag? Being a patriot, being an American, is about more than symbolism. It's about working together for a common cause: The uplifting of democracy and equality among all men and women.

I don't think I'm the best person to expound further on what it means to be an American. But I know it doesn't (shouldn't) mean that one whole class of people fear for their lives on a daily basis.

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