Red, Rights and Blue

As we start looking forward to Independence Day and celebrating the weekend, for a lot of us, this year more than ever, thoughts of our liberties, our rights, and our freedoms are weighing heavily on our minds. The red, white and blue of our country’s flag signify purity, valor, perseverance and justice, but I must confess, my most recurring feeling lately is blue. I’m blue from disappointment and despair. The question that frequently occupies my mind is, “why and how did we get here?” Why have we allowed ourselves to become so divided and preoccupied with us vs them, left vs right, and moderates vs extremes? Diminishing are the considerations for brotherhood and sisterhood or at the very least, our fellow citizens of this country with the guarantees of basic human rights and equality just as we are. Instead, it seems each party has an agenda to fulfill and fulfill we must at any cost, usually one at the expense of the other and sometimes even at the expense of our well-being and safety.

I can’t claim to understand the rights and wrongs of every issue that come before us as people of this country. But we should be able to have comfort that our leaders are making laws and decisions that are sensible and constitutionally sound. It is imperative that those in positions of making decisions, are guided strictly by our laws and the constitution, and are free of politics, partiality and biases. As for the gray areas, human decency and common sense must prevail. Afterall, only God can judge us. So, my prayer as we approach this next Independence Day, is that we all start thinking about being kinder and gentler. I pray that we take a walk in the shoes of our brothers, stay out of the wombs of our sisters and have some respect and consideration for the lives of “the others”. Take a moment to reflect on what the red, white and blue of our country’s flag stand for and what this country was built on, and let’s have some convictions and expectations and formulate some actions to ensure our rights are protected to enable us to face tomorrow.

Feature image: Wallpaper Cave