The Confederate flag became a symbol of hate when it was used by General Lee in the civil war.
A war, from the perspective of the South, about the economic impact the South would be forced to endure by losing the free labor of slaves or more simply put money, and the perspective of the North human rights. (Not to suggest that the North was much further along in their views.)
It was never accepted or used as a flag of the collective South until well after the failure of their secession. (Note that even General Lee declined this or any flag be flown at his on funeral) Later, during the Civil Right movement, angry white trash supremists started thinking they needed to shift the blame of their inferior social and financial well being from their mental inferiority to a racial issue and boo hoo about victim status.
How? Strom Thurman used it during his campaign for presidency as a unifying symbol for people who stood for racial segragation.
There's no way around it though, unlike the Nazi's adoption of the swastika which had been used throughout history in various cultures and languages to mean a myriad of other things, the "Confederate" flag was always meant to represent slavery and racial division/hate.
All that said, the support of its display as being based in any sort of historical context only further exemplifies the ignorance that perpetuates hate.
Walk closely and in good company, you will be less likely to get lost for long and more likely to get through it if you do. db
Sometimes when I feel discouraged or defeated, I reflect back on the kind words of a stranger that I met during the mayhem of Superbowl scheduling.
I had not met him previous, nor have I spoken to him since, but I will remember his passing words to me during ome phone call for a very long time I imagine, and they were this:
You and me Dave. We're going to beat this mother f*****.
The passing words of a stranger to a stranger can mean more in the future than either would imagine at the time.
Be good to yourselves, but of far greater importance, be good to each other.
Solo Cristo Salva
db
Giving up...
...in many respects, it is the catalyst in releasing the weight of unnecessary burdens and it can be a very large step toward freedom from so many unrealistic expectations, both of you and by you.
You can learn a good deal about those around you in that process and if you do it right, you'll learn a whole shitload, about yourself. The good, the bad and the ugly and it can get very uncomfortably ugly.
Face it.
Accept it.
Embrace it.
Grow from it.
But I think people get confused in their understanding about it.
Giving up is NOT quitting.
It's also not (though it can be a part of) surrendering, which in my opinion and in a very spiritual sense, makes all the difference in what that giving up process ultimately winds up looking like because it detwrmines how it's approached.
It's a huge perspective changer.
When you stop to think about it (and you should) perspective is the only real difference between success and failure...
We don't know the whole picture.
It's quite litterally the whole premise of my blog...
Failure in the Victory Garden
Close your eyes.
Relax.
Forget the world you know.
Now... Imagine a secret, paitient and powerful enemy.
An enemy so capable of terror that the mere knowledge of its existence to most people would be enough to eradicate all hope and ensure certain surrender from despair.
Imagine that it attacks daily because it is not overcome in a single blow.
Death and destruction are all that will satisfy it and with each infliction of damage, an infection that slowly drains the life of its victim is sure to follow.
It is relentless.
It is tireless.
It is merciless.
It is covert.
It can look like nothing.
It can look like anything and everything.
Everywhere and nowhere.
It is unseen and unknown by most.
As with all great enemies, it works dilligently to be seen as anything but.
Even those that do see, dismiss it as nothing, perhaps even friendly.
At times your roles will be viewed as reversed by those who do not know.
You as the mighty enemy, and it the powerless victim.
But you know otherwise.
You know the danger of affording it a single ounce of sympathy, or showing a single crack in the armor.
There can be no whim of weakness, no measure of mercy, no hint of hospitality.
Now, imagine that you alone have been entrusted to defeat it.
Secretly
Silently
Without alarm or even the slightest hint of the battle to anyone around you.
No one knowing you had done and continued to do so.
All day
Every day
You are the protector.
You are the provider.
There can be no victory celebrations or even comfort from seemingly certain defeat.
There is you and there is it.
That is all.
You must fight with all your might.
There is no rest from the battle against an enemy that does not rest.
And at the end of it all, you must be able to say without reservation, that you fought with all your might for the preservation of ones you love.
You have now imagined what it is like to be a man, a father.
It is a greater task than those who, are not either, can possibly fathom.
Empower a person with a renewable marine food resource and that person will be nourished for a day, but educate a potential fisher to the full capability of that fisher as measured by predetermined global standards and that fisher will deplete the local ecosystem of that previously stable population of marine creature for the fisher's selfish beneft to the susequent detriment of others deserving the same nourishment.
1) Be perfect.
2) If you love me keep my commandments.
Well, it looks like no one loves Jesus.
