A dear friend shared a New York Times article with me about thoughtful discourse and the lost art of disagreement. It is found here: "The Dying Art of Disagreement".
Though I am not sure what turn of events
may have prompted such an article sharing, I do have some thoughts running
through my mind that relate to this article about the lost art of
disagreeing.
I am challenged by the fact that upon my
agreement with the NFL players taking a knee during the "Star Spangled Banner", that Trump called out after things had grown
peaceful ( the S.F. quarterback’s stand took place last year, not currently,
and yet the President brought it up), I too am taking a knee in my heart.
I love the American flag, patriotic music and had a lifelong love affair with these vital symbols as a
student, teacher and school principal serving as the chief patriotic leader of
my public school community. With this in mind, some clarity of symbols and
their meaning must be related.
The cloth of the US Flag is not worth as
much to me as the lives of my fellow black Americans,* as a key group that I am
standing with because I feel compelled to do so. As Jesus said, the
"Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." In other words, "moral practices are instituted for the good of people, rather than people being created to serve rituals and traditions," (my words). Thus, this patriotic
symbol’s moment of honor is taken as an opportunity to point out a greater
issue affecting all of humankind, if not all Americans: that of racial, cultural, gender,
sexual (preference), differences in ability (disabled-- such as myself), and religious fairness.
Unfortunately, our President unintentionally calls on me because of his obvious lack of understanding of diversity and fairness, to respond in a meaningful way. Choosing to kneel during the Star Spangled Banner does not mean that those of us doing so are not supportive of the military effort. To the contrary, it is in honor of this great service they provide, as our fathers, mothers, brother and sisters before us, did as well. Military, although arguably the highest form of patriotic expression, isn't by any means the only way to demonstrate love of country.
Unfortunately, our President unintentionally calls on me because of his obvious lack of understanding of diversity and fairness, to respond in a meaningful way. Choosing to kneel during the Star Spangled Banner does not mean that those of us doing so are not supportive of the military effort. To the contrary, it is in honor of this great service they provide, as our fathers, mothers, brother and sisters before us, did as well. Military, although arguably the highest form of patriotic expression, isn't by any means the only way to demonstrate love of country.
I belief it has to be
clarified that the flag isn’t solely what our armies fight to protect, in my own
humble opinion, it is also the civil rights of all Americans,* and also their right
to speak up when they see injustice or hear it, for that matter. Mr.
Trump did not need to yell, “Get the S— O- a B---- off of the field!”
This drew all brave and loving fathers playing in the NFL to take a stand by
kneeling. They are showing respect for their country and quietly and
respectfully letting their families, fans, and the world know that they are not
appreciative of the attitude that the President demonstrated when he brought
this up during a post campaign rally in Alabama last Friday.
This points back to some actions of law enforcement that violently targeted black Americans during traffic stops and other public encounters with police officers. This behavior by officers represents a very small, but important percentage of the police force in these United States, but shouldn’t be ignored. No one can honestly deny the systemic racism that must continue to be addressed and wrestled with as a serious safety and economic issue in our time.
This points back to some actions of law enforcement that violently targeted black Americans during traffic stops and other public encounters with police officers. This behavior by officers represents a very small, but important percentage of the police force in these United States, but shouldn’t be ignored. No one can honestly deny the systemic racism that must continue to be addressed and wrestled with as a serious safety and economic issue in our time.
As Jesus would point out, it is more
important to meet the needs of human beings (civil rights) that to salute a
beautiful and emotionally connected symbol that I spent 30 years teaching
children to respect. The flag is likened to the Sabbath and the needs of the
sick needing healing on the Sabbath are likened to the civil rights of all
Americans. I do still love and hold the flag in a place of great honor,
such as displaying it on our doorstep for national holidays.
There are times when symbols are provided as a tool for teaching placed in the right hands in the proper moment. As an illustration, I never ridiculed the very few religiously objecting students for standing in class during the “Pledge of Allegiance” without saluting. They were doing the honorable thing that they were brought up by their parents to do and in that way, they were honoring the values of our country. The right thing to do was to support and not embarrass these students in this moment, as it would have been right for the President to not have called this player vulgar names or his mother, for that matter. When the President ridiculed a disabled man for his movements, very similar to my tremors, he dishonored the civil rights of neurological patients and differently abled persons everywhere, including those with Parkinson's Plus, Parkinson's Disease, or another specific brain disorder among many other disabling conditions.
There are times when symbols are provided as a tool for teaching placed in the right hands in the proper moment. As an illustration, I never ridiculed the very few religiously objecting students for standing in class during the “Pledge of Allegiance” without saluting. They were doing the honorable thing that they were brought up by their parents to do and in that way, they were honoring the values of our country. The right thing to do was to support and not embarrass these students in this moment, as it would have been right for the President to not have called this player vulgar names or his mother, for that matter. When the President ridiculed a disabled man for his movements, very similar to my tremors, he dishonored the civil rights of neurological patients and differently abled persons everywhere, including those with Parkinson's Plus, Parkinson's Disease, or another specific brain disorder among many other disabling conditions.
We should honor the people and the values
the flag stands for even above the cloth itself. As in another application,
Jesus is the Word; the Tyndall House leather covered Bible is very
special, but no one translation or red letter edition in the form of a
published book is more important that Christ Himself, the true and living Word
of God.
We can discuss matters such as this by
respecting, loving and appreciating each other’s point of view. There is
no need for name calling or for accusing one another of not loving the country,
the flag or of dishonoring fellow Americans who serve or served in military
commitment. In the face of a President who is challenging for a good 60%
of the citizenry of this country to understand when given his honest admissions
of dislike for diverse peoples, whether condemning NFL players demonstrating in
a quiet and peaceful manner, or his stated belief that Latino Americans are
criminals that need to be kept out or deported, we have to provide for an
exchange of ideas and concerns, and both sides need to allow for this.
Calling one group, “Bigots” or another “Unpatriotic” is also a right, but doing
so may cause more harm than good. I would like to think that we can come
together, share our thoughts without name calling or labeling and then gain
some understanding and each have an opportunity to grow and change. This
is something I welcome from the top, in our Nation’s leader, the President, and
thanks to this article, I will hold myself accountable for, as well. -- Patient-Online
**Thanks to my wife who shared the idea of the "persons represented by the cloth of the flag" concept with me and the "civil rights being protected by the actions of our military being as important as the flag they fight to preserve," as well. She has insight and it makes so much sense when she shares ideas with me.