It wasn’t long ago that a person could tell the good guys from the bad guys. It was especially easy when you were watching a cowboy movie. The good guys wore white hats and the bad guys wore black hats.
The good guys defended people who were minding their own business and not hurting anyone from the bad guys who came along and upset the apple cart. They came to kill, steal and destroy.
We knew what good was, because we all went to church and learned the ten commandments and the teachings of Jesus. We learned that the two greatest commandments are to love God and our neighbor as ourselves.
We all went to school and learned about the United States Constitution and how it upheld what the church taught.
We learned that bad meant you didn’t observe any of that stuff, thought only of yourself and hurt other people — either physically, emotionally or by disrespecting their God-given rights.
It is easy to make judgments about events that happen thousands of miles away. It’s hard to sift through conflicting information to reach an opinion. It is probably a good idea to determine who is minding his/her own business and who came to kill, steal and destroy. And who started the whole situation anyway. And who is telling the truth.
The U.S. Constitution states that we are all guaranteed the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Terrorists have their own idea of what is good and bad and are not content to let people of other persuasions exist, or be free, or be happy.
After the holocaust, we stared at pictures of emaciated Jews in concentration camps. We erected memorials in their honor. We said such things as “Never again” and “Lest we forget.”
It looks as though we have forgotten and it looks as though it is happening again. It looks as though the terrorism has overflowed into the United States.
Have we forgotten what makes us good? Have we let social and other media take the place of a solid foundation? I think it is important to get back to our roots and teach them to our offspring before we become terrorists.
Or, maybe, this is just the beginning of more chaos and upheaval to come. You might find out more if you were to read Revelation, the last book of the Bible. Just look at the symbolism and see how it applies to the world today.
Dorothy is the author of two books—“Miles and Miracles” and “Getting It All Together “. You can purchase a book or make a comment by emailing her at dorothybutzknight@gmail.com