writes the words on the page, not knowing that her thoughts; the
insignificant musings of a teenager will resonate so loudly with
generations to come. Her message? "In spite of everything that has happened, I still believe that people are really good at heart." In the midst of hate, Anne Frank wrote her diary.
The
comparisons are hard not to make. The small voice of a teenager
compared with the giant powerful voice of a dictator. The voice of hope
compared to the voice of death. In the end, these voices both made
giant impacts of our history. Which voice do you hear more easily? The
whisper of a child in hiding or the frantic yelling of a murderer?
Which
voices of this era will resonate with our descendents? The putrid vile
of hate from extremists who hate this country and continue to try to
tear it apart? Or will it be the voices of reason, the small voices
that whisper in the wind?
Will we pass on the firefighters who
went back into those towers because people needed to be saved; only to
tragically die themselves? Or will our mantra be "Bush lied, people
died"? Will we be defined by the events of September 11th? Or will that
event be written in our history books as "well-deserved" pay back? Will
our troops be honored or will the message "we support our troops when
they kill each other" be our cry? Will Michael Moore, George Soros,
Howard Dean be revered as American Heroes? Or George W. Bush, Donald
Rumsfield and our men and women sacrificing everything for America be
esteemed? What will our history be? Which voices will persevere?
Which
voices will die? Anne Frank’s voice never died…it continues today.
Her whispers made in an attic drown out the screams of a dictator.
A
blog is not very important in the scheme of things, not much more than
an individualized record of time. Much like a diary. Not to be
presumptuous that my blog will ever make it in the pages of our history
books, but maybe the collective voice of those not willing to surrender
their country to extremists will. Maybe my whisper and your whisper can
drown out the screams from those who wish to bring down our country.
Right now the voices may seem too loud, too hard to ignore, too vile,
too putrid, too harsh. Our options are to scream back, or to continue
to whisper…
I choose a whisper. Lower your voice and notice those who strain to hear you.
Were
you once a Republican but now a Democrat because you read "Kos"? Did
you become a Christian because the lunatic on the street corner calling
you a "whoremonger" and told you were going to hell, convicted you? Or
did you walk on by? When was the last time you changed something about
yourself? What was the catalyst of that change? The look of
disappointment on your husband’s face? The tears from your mother? The
shock of a nation attacked? The words of a friend? The life of a
neighbor?
In less honest moments, I have taken a much more
extreme position about certain things to write a good blog entry that
would generate the "hits". I faked a little moral outrage to "rile" up
the troops. It’s been easy to do, most people can’t ignore the screams
of extremism, most seem to even prefer it. It quickly polarizes the
audience to those who will fight for you and those who will fight
against you. But it never changes a mind.
When my opinions are strong, you will certainly know it; I refuse to
dilute my beliefs but I will not season them as well. What you see will
be what you get.
What will your voice be?
(also posted at Steal the Bandwagon)
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Great blog you found there! Great post! I'm back from vacation and ready to roll. I've got a petition for you to sign when you get a chance
Powerful post. It was a whisper of reason, against the screams of death. Thank you for linking to it.
Permit me to quote at length a story on this theme that has always moved me:
"Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done,
and how he had slain all the prophets [of Baal] with the sword.
Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying,
'So may the gods do to me, and more also,
if I do not take your life as the life of one of them by this time tommorrow.'
Then he was afraid,
and he arose and fled for his life...
...a day's journey into the wilderness,
and came and sat down under a broom tree;
and he asked that he might die, saying,
'It is enough;
now, O LORD, take away my life;
for I am no better than my fathers.
[I must die sometime and it might as well be now]'...
...and the angel of the LORD came again a second time, and touched him, and said,
'Arise and eat, else the journey will be too great for you.'
And he arose again, and ate, and drank,
and went on the strength of that food forty days and forty nights
to Sinai the Mount of God.
And there he came to a cave, and lodged there;
and behold, the Word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him,
'What are you doing here, Elijah?'
He said, 'I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of Hosts;
for the people of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant,
thrown down Thy altars,
and slain Thy prophets with the sword;
and I,
even I only,
am left;
and they seek my life to take it away.'
And He said,
'Go forth,
and stand upon the mount before the LORD.'
And behold,
the LORD passed by,
and a great and strong wind rent the mountains,
and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD,
But the LORD was not in the wind;
and after the wind an earthquake,
But the LORD was not in the earthquake;
and after the earthquake a fire,
But the LORD was not in the fire;
and after the fire a still gentle whisper.
And when Elijah heard it,
he wrapped his face in his mantle
and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave...
And the LORD said to him,
'Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive,
you shall anoint Hazael king over Syria;
and Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint king over Israel;
and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah you shall anoint prophet in your place.
And him who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay;
and him who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay.
Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel,
all the kneew that have not bowed to Baal,
and every mouth that has not kissed him.'"
I Kings 19:1-18
A lot of winds blow (and I am writing from the Windy City, a reference to our politicians), seismic shake ups come and go on the political scene, but small still voices demolish mountains.
Ahab and Jezebel made names for themselves in history, bywords. So did Elijah, whose return many sought and seek. If nothing else, blogs let us talk to those whose have refused to bow and kiss the Baals of our age.
