Who are we anyway? The good, the bad, and our dreams.
Truth is slippery. There is always more “Out There”. Ever been wrong about something? Maybe it was embarrassing, but useful to know the difference. One of the best things my father taught me was that a wise man MAY change his mind, but a fool never.
I didn’t know everything in my early life but faked it a lot. I’m older and possibly somewhat wiser, having been on my own search, looking around for some time. Comfort in my own skin has let me see that more and more.
I care about the “us”, who we are as a country. You know, “us”. The better part of any marriage is the “us”, not just the “you” or the “me”.
We are a stew pot of different ingredients as a country. The vast majority of us came here from somewhere else, maybe some time ago. Our American history has a lot of layers, some buried deeper than others. We each get to have our own point of view of history and we get to choose well what to hold as true by looking carefully and without the turmoil of emotions. Then, there is a wide view. Wow, imagine getting to actually decide based on our vibrant landscape laid open right in front of you.
I am a movie buff. Movies have given me lots of fantasy landscape, emotional drama, and a wider view of history. Movies like “The Gangs of New York”, the HBO series “Deadwood” have brought these past times and places back to life. I almost felt like I was there. The producers said that they worked to reflect the tone of the times, which was quite different from our modern world.
Our growing, vibrant world is not all static like an old painting that doesn’t change. When we “know” something, we stop looking outside for any new information. Everyone likes the comfort of the familiar ways we see things already. When an opinion about right or wrong, good or bad, useful or worthless is held lightly, there is space for more, possibly a more useful point of view, the new and never before examined. Delightful and surprising.
Only you can be the one to choose. Pick which ones you put in your own bag to keep, to try on, to grow into. I would love to continue to be “us” for the blessings that can come with less dispute, more harmony.