But, I’m far less confident that our better angels will prevail in today’s environment. Everyone and everything seems to be politicized. There seems to be no moral consensus. There is too much us or them! Why? Why can’t the citizens of this country come together to celebrate our similarities rather than our differences?
I was raised in a family that taught me and my siblings that we are all entitled to the same rights, the same opportunities, the same rules of law, the same freedoms no matter our race, creed, color, country of origin, disability, socioeconomic level, religion, place of birth, or sex.
The divisiveness today boggles my mind. I as taught to accept every individual as that person was whatever the color, size, religion, country of origin, differences, beliefs, level of wealth, where one lived.’ I grew up on the ‘wrong ‘side of town. My dad grew up poor on a farm in southern Indiana. My mom was the daughter of a plumber. My parents were teachers. We had enough, but not more than enough. My parents sacrificed to give us opportunities.
My siblings and I grasp those opportunities and have lived extraordinary lives considering where we began. We’ve achieved relative success. We’ve been blessed. We worked hard, made good & bad decisions, used the tools we earned, overcame adversity, experienced highs and lows, crawled out of the depths of despair, regrouped and tried again, and thanked the Universe and the God of our understanding for our blessings.
That is the American way. We do not blame. We do not burn cities. We do not cast aspersions. We do not succumb to self pity. We do not exploit our fellow citizens. We do not use excuses for our shortcomings. We do not blame others for situations over which we have control.
Live The Serenity Prayer!
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference.
THIS is the path to happiness and success.
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