Yes, another day has dawned and is upon us. The State of the Union Address was last night and guess what? The world is still turning. The same old rhetoric from opposing sides has been flung and we the people have endured it as our Congressional leaders fill the air with insults and threats. That said, let us move on and start working toward a better present and an even better future.
So, another day and year are upon us and I wonder what will occur. Ever want to see into the future? Think of what you could do if you were able to. Oh yes, you could become rich. But then again, who would want that. Fame, riches, power. It could be yours for the keeping. However, if you did see into the future it might not be what you wanted. Look what happens in the movies when individuals can see or go into the future. They discover themselves in a world which they despair of and go back to the present making sure they never chose the path which led them to this horrendous future.
How about if you could go back into the past for just one day? Where would you go? To your past? To the distant past? What would happen if you were to go into the past? Just one interaction would change the present. Just one act and poof! Everything in the present could be gone. Just standing listening to Christ give the sermon on the Mount could change everything. Drinking a tankard of ale in England could bring a change in the colonization of America. Just one thing, one movement, one whisper could bring an end to our present. Time travel isn't only undesirable, it would be devastating!
What in the world brought this thought to my mind? Well, actually it was the SOTUA last night. No, I didn't watch it. I figured I would be overwhelmed with political rhetoric from Congress, people, and the media. Instead, I read the speech and was able to dissect it myself. Without prejudice and innuendos. The sad thing is, after I read it, I read the reactions. Now, to get on with this, the reason I was thinking of time travel is do to how some of the Congress legislators remind me so much of the legislators of the past. February 15, 1798 Roger Griswald of Connecticut charged after Matthew Lyon of Vermont with a hickory walking stick. Griswald hit Lyon repeatedly with the stick until Lyon was able to get to the fireplace where HE went after Griswald with metal tongs. Quite a battle ensued until the men were separated. Then no sooner did they try to get back to work that Lyon went back after Griswald. So, what caused this battle? Griswald called Lyon a coward and Lyon spit in Griswald's face. Big issue for this particular Congress.
May 22, 1856. Preston Brooks of South Carolina beat Charles Sumner of Massachusetts to unconsciousness with his cane, which had a gold head, until the cane broke. When other senators came to Sumner's aid, Laurence Keitt, also of South Carolina, pulled a pistol and held the senators in place so Brooks could continue his beating. The cause? A speech Sumner had given concerning slavery where he compared slavery to a harlot a mistress.
Now these are just 2 violent events which occurred in the Capital Building, there are several others, but here is my point. How can we discuss the important issues of our time if we allow our legislators to carry on as these of the past did? How will events of the past control the times of our present and challenge the future? Want the time machine? Nah! Time to face the challenges and get back into the middle. Time to let bygones be bygones and move into an era of co-operation and working together. Yeah, I know, I'm an idealist, but really, what good is all the bickering, hate, and division doing? Think about the past and the violence, then think of today and the future. Time for us to be the time machine and realize the impact we have today in the present on the future. Time to learn from the past and correct the present. Time to grow, learn, create, research, develop, and expand in our vision of this great country. Time to let the eagle fly again in freedom instead of chaining it to the events and beliefs of the past. Diversity is what has impacted this land from it's inception. Diversify, education, practicality, dreams, hopes, ideals have all brought the United States to its present. Don't stop it, let it grow for by learning we can achieve anything. Even a future free from hate and war. Time is a linear conception, let it move forward not backward.
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