Saturday, January 31, 2004

Stumped

I'm stumped on how to explain the entries about the 3 evils. It reminds me of when I have to write something for school. I have what I want to say in my head but getting it down on paper is a struggle. I usually just begin to write and it begins to flow.

I belong to this email group. It's kind of interesting but I've come to realize that these people have very different points of view from my own. Sometimes I feel at a loss for words to discuss a topic with them because their opinions seem to be based on nothing but opinion. One of the contributors wrote that Communism was evil because it was a government established without thought for God. Since the concept of God is arguable, I interjected that I felt that argument was faulty since there is good without God and they could have argued from a better stand point against the validity of Communism without bringing God into the equation.  Of course, that opened a can of worms amongst the religious contributors of the group.

Then another person, on a different day, said something about Dr. King being an adulterer and a Communist sympathizer. I've heard rumors about the adultery but really don't care what he did in his private life. Either way, these statements weren't verified by the person who presented them. Even if they were true, does it make MLK's message any less valid.  

Then I started looking up the stuff for the MLK entry I did and I came across his 3 evils. I've been mulling over them ever since then and what MLK was trying to accomplish in his work.  He was about unifying people, not drawing lines in the sand that would divide. That's why I like these 3 evils. They are universal. It doesn't matter what side of the fence of an ideology, whether it be political, social, economic, or spiritual, a person stands on, he or she has no choice but to see the validity that Poverty, War, and Racisim are evil.  Instead of expending useless energy trying to get someone to accept your doctrine before making an effort to make changes to these evils, why can't we just start fighting the evils. Maybe by standing on common ground to fight what is truly horrible about our human condition, we could begin to see that all of us, no matter what our opinions, can do something to make this world a better place. We can show love for our fellow beings, which ultimately is what most ideologies are about anyhow.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your message boards experiences are sadly indicative of fear born out of ignorance that is still present to this day. If only people will learn to THINK and not base their judgment on what they have been raised to accept as universal and incontrovertible truth. That is why your entries on MLK Jr. are important and relevant; the fight he bean continues.

Anonymous said...

the fight he began* continues.

Anonymous said...

I admire your attempt at tackling the big issues & understand your difficulty in expressing such sentiments. As for criticism, hell,.. you can't even say which brand of ketchup you like in a crowded room without starting an argument! ¤ Holly

Anonymous said...

Just to think that with those gone where wwould the world be today. I can think of over 500 Americans that would be alive. john

Anonymous said...

Ahhh, see I knew there had to be something fueling you on this-- something that was compelling you to make these entries. Now I see why. It seems that people are always willing to come up with excuses to validate their prejudices. And even with the world at their fingetrtips, it seems some refuse to let their minds expand. Your entries were exceptional & the message they relay the most basic truth.

Gregg