150 Years Ago

One hundred and fifty years ago the War Between the States started at Fort Sumter, South Carolina. It was one of the bloodiest wars ever fought. It was fought to protect a way of life: but the way of life was Northern and industrial, or Southern and agricultural, and based on slave labor to bolster the economy.

When I met Lisenby, I was a Catholic and a Northerner. Granny Merriman still talked about the War of Northern Aggression as if it had happened last year.

I had no idea how emotional people in the South were about the war.  The pain and anguish lived on.  I had not seen anything like it in the North.

This is a sad part of our history.  But it did not end there. And it did not start there.  Slavery was part of this country at its founding, and was a blight on our country then.  Racism was a blight on our country for another 100 plus years and is still a blight, subtly, on this country.

But, we did the right thing. The cost, the time, the pain to accomplish what is right is untold.  I am sorry my country was founded on such inhumanity, and not just to the Negro Slave, but to the First Americans, and repeatedly, at times to others who are different: Japanese, Germans, Muslims.

150 years ago, this country engaged in a war to affirm the rights of all humanity.  It was the right thing to do.  It is unconscionable that so many died.  War is hell.

Cat Jealousies

Sake is the dominant cat in our house. I try as best I can to make sure that Haiku is tended to and gets her share of attention… These measures have included giving her a water dish in the shower, and a separate feeding area. I will say that Haiku will spend time with me in the office, although, recently, Sake has taken to sitting next to me there. And, Haiku sleeps in bed with me, where Sake once slept… Recently, as well as last fall, Sake has taken to coming to bed with us.

Sake gets me up in the morning, although Haiku is usually present. And, sometimes, Haiku awakens me.


Lately, Sake has been very mean and spiteful, both to me and Haiku. She drinks out of Haiku’s additional water dish. She eats out of the extra dishes. She sits in Haiku’s favorite spot when she sits in the garage.

I have tried to spend some time in the living room, as when I am in the office, Sake frequently comes in and cries, wanting nothing more than to have me move to the living room. She sits on the back or arm of the sofa. When she does, Haiku is hesitant to join us on the sofa… I have to be aware to invite her. But that works.

Sometimes, we just need to be sure we express our feelings and invite our loved ones into our lives…Nothing is worse than love unexpressed.

West Side Story

I am watching West Side Story http://www.westsidestory.com/ on TV tonight. It was made in 1961, based on the 1950s play. It is a favorite movie of mine.  Every time I see it, I am struck at how timely it still is.   Of course, it has been timely since Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet. 

The love story is not lost on me... But if I focused on the love story, I would cry throughout the entire movie.

When I watch West Side Story two themes run through my mind:   The first is that there are so many places in the movie where an intervention would have made things turn out different. And at each instance, I cringe.... The corruption and prejudice of the police, the stupidity of the social worker, the passiveness of the store owner, the lying, angry, and vengeful acts. The bullheadedness at the rumble that something violent HAD to happen.

The second is how timely the theme is:  We have gang problems.  We have prejudice problems. We have inter-racial problems. True, they are less divisive and more subtle than 40 years ago.  But, They are still there.

I once watched the movie with a friend. He had not paid attention to the words of "America"  The irony, sarcasm, and juxtaposition of the have and have nots was not something he had noticed...

I also cringe at the "Officer Krupke" song... This is a classic rendition of passing the buck. From one professional to another.  And, frankly, it is still happening today.

Intolerance

Tonight I attended the last of four sessions on the Bible vs. the Quran. It was a very interesting class, and I suspect everybody in the group had their own agendas...There were some who had some baggage and definite anti-prejudices. Others were so bogged down in their own Christianity that they could not see Islam. Most, however, were searchers.. I want to be a searcher.

My closing comments included learning about our enemy, if they are our enemy, knowing this is a small world, focusing on similarities, not differences, and resolving differences. I also made the comment that we are very closed in some ways, and do not realize that many peoples in the world do not like Americans, as Americans do not like Muslims...

I don't think Americans do not like Muslims. I think Americans do not like the invasions of our country and the threats to the way of life we have, even if it is not always the best way of life to have. I think many countries see our wealthy consumptiveness as INTOLERABLE and UNCHRISTIAN and attack our ideals that support that...

One member talked about intolerance, and I did not really understand what she was trying to say, but it sounded like she wanted to stay on the same page of her life where she is.

I worry that that is me, and I do not want to stay on the same page of my life where I am ... I want to grow and be more aware and tolerant of the rest of the world. I am more and more aware that good stewardship of our Earth will lead to more tolerance for Americans! And, that good Stewardship means being ecologically prudent, being economically prudent, and being politically prudent, to cite a few realms. Oh my! I feel like I am juggling fire...