FUTURE LECACY OF CHILDREN
By VFP099 member Ed Sacco
Published in Asheville Citizen-Times April 11, 2016
How
do we prevent our society from snuffing out the best of a healthy
childhood, and infecting our youth by a way of life that lacks Spiritual
courage? At this time in history, the future legacy we create for all
of humanity, especially our children, depends on our active
participation in healing our nation.
To
be a visible witness, to stand against the illusions of our “way of
life” requires the courage of a spiritual warrior. One who will stand
fast and see through the “soft rhetorics” of celebrating our military
power which diverts us from the evils of war. War is hell! Good people
seem to be overwhelmed and paralyzed with inaction, or withdrawn to “a
way of life” for comfort and security, ignoring the horrible suffering
that war inflicts. Notice how Americans admire and celebrate the
military more than any other institution including organized religion,
Congress, schools, and the press.
I
lived the American dream, proud to live in a country that offered hope,
had a citizen army, didn’t torture like our enemies, and offered social
programs including an affordable college education. The “progressive
spirit” was shared by most. The first president I voted for was Dwight
Eisenhower who promised to end the Korean war. Later the Nixon
administration expanded our democracy by lowering the voting age to age
18.
The
world wasn’t perfect. The capitalistic system I supported has not
resulted in a contented and happy people. We now idolize the “free
market;” favoring profits over people. The lessons and tragedies of
World War II, Korea, and Vietnam did not bring us peace, but led us to
constant war. I do not wish to discredit the military, but the policies
of politicians“we the people” elected to office.
I
am thankful for the spirit of my formation years, but, what kind of
world are we modeling for today’s youth? In 1966, 80% of American
college freshmen identified “a meaningful philosophy of life” as an
essential goal. In 1996, 70% identified “being well-off financially” as
the top value; a meaningful philosophy of life fell to sixth place with
42%.
President
Eisenhower, a military man, knew the horrific influence of war. He
warned that this was not a way of life for the hopes for our children.
Today,
war is the new “normal.” No teenager in America can remember a time
when our country was at peace. We need to take a stand for peacemaking,
for compassion and empathy, and selfless service for others. The future
legacy we create for all our children depends on it. We cannot serve a
loving God otherwise.
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