It's amazing what kids call a priority. My kids started school after Labor Day. I talked to them all on the phone at the end of the first day and they all had a different perception of how the day went.
My youngest, a fifth grader at the time, when asked how her day was, replied, "I LIKE my teacher" with a puppy love sound in her voice. She volunteered to be the teacher's helper before school each day. This school year promises to be a good one for her.
My oldest, a sophomore boy, said, "I have a class with 31 girls and no boys." He almost sounded like that was a bad thing. I asked which class that was and he told me it was a childhood development and parenting class. He wondered why there were no boys, saying, "I guess boys aren't parents?" That's a good question. I imagine the reason is boys aren't dreaming about marriage and having children at this point, while the young ladies are dreaming of their walk down the aisle and having a family.
My freshmen daughter lamented, "There are no hot guys in any of my classes!" I reminded her she doesn't need any, she has a steady. "Moooooom!" was all she could wail. Apparently, I just don't get it.
Anyway, she's got to keep up her studies if she's to be the valedictorian of her class some day. She has always made excellent grades, but is afraid she will be unable to keep them up in high school. (She ended up being fourth in her class of over 250).
Wait a minute, hot guys? Is that how they describe what we used to call a fox? We didn't say, "Oo, he's so hot." We said, "He's such a fox" or "He's so good looking" or "He's so cute!"
If I had been lucky enough to have a steady when I was that age, I would have been ecstatic. I wouldn't have been worrying about anyone else if I had a nice boy to blabber on the phone and go to school ball games with. Kids today expect so much. They perceive that parents somehow owe them all the comforts and luxuries they have.
For example, schools are often let out due to the heat. When I went to school, we didn't have air conditioning, but we stayed in school and ran fans. My kids have an air-conditioned house to go to after school but don't realize it's a luxury--one that some cannot afford.
Their TVs, stereos and telephone privileges are taken for granted. We "owe" them those things. There's too much "keeping up with the Joneses" in our society. We're mean if we give them rules and telephone limits. I so wish to have a halfway clean house, but it seems to be pretty taxing for them to carry a dish to the sink from their room or the living room. And boy, they really do live in that room.
My desire is for them to realize what they have. They have loving parents, an air-conditioned house in summer, pets they love, siblings they hate, they are allowed freedom to go with their friends, they have looks, intelligence and wonderful senses of humor--the list could go on and on. My freshman daughter even had a job working in a daycare all summer, affording her the luxury of spending all her waking hours at the mall, doing her part to keep a strong, healthy local economy.
They don't even have to walk to school like I did, 10 miles, in the snow, uphill…both ways. That might be a slight exaggeration--I had to walk to school in rain, sleet or snow just like the U.S. Postal Service, but it was only about eight blocks and no real hills. My kids rarely have to walk to school.
I continue to try, although I sometimes fall short, to teach the kids what matters. Love, giving, unselfishness, forgiveness, a good work ethic--all those things, among many others, will get them far in life.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
You Can Fail a Job Application?
I needed a job. I had been a stay-at-home mom and operated a child-care business in my home for 14 years, but that came to a halt one day in the fall of 2000.
I was a single mother left with sort of an empty nest, no income and three children to support.
I decided to go to the local shopping mall to look for a job. After all, the mall is the place where all the hip, cool people work and hang out. I went from store to store, choosing the ones where I thought it would be fun to work.
One place I chose to apply, a major department store (we wont' mention any names, JCP), requires you to fill out your application on a computer. This application asks dozens of questions, such as: “If you have a problem with a customer, what would you do?” The multiple-choice offerings went something like this: A) Call your supervisor. B) Call a co-worker. C) Call your mother. D) Tell them too bad and to go home. (Well, I might be exaggerating a little.)
I went to the receptionist to let her know I was finished. She punched her keyboard and brought up my results. Job applications have results?
Apparently they do these days. And apparently they’re pass/fail. She told me I’d failed the application.
Had I known about this application/examination, maybe I could’ve studied, prepared for it. I was shocked, thinking, “How can you fail a job application?” What happened
to the old-fashioned, “We’ll review your application get back to you” or “We don’t have any openings at this time” or “Don’t call us, we’ll call you”?
I think the woman behind the counter could see the surprised look on my face and told me I could reapply in 30 days, or she could give me the handwritten version right then. I told her I’d come back another time.
I thought about it a while and wasn’t sure how to react. It’s tough for people who have been homemakers for years to get back into the job market, but I was sure these things could be taught.
Every employer has its own way of running things, and those things must be taught on the job, not asked on a questionnaire — excuse me — job application. This method probably gave a failing grade to many potentially good employees, discouraging them. I would do my best for them, but I guess they want ‘correct’ responses even though there were no absolute answers.
Not to worry. I proceeded down the mall and stopped at a few small shops to fill out more applications. I ended that day before noon at another major department store, where I filled out one last application. It was a real sheet of paper with an ink pen. I turned it in, ran an errand or two, and was home in time for lunch.
I went into the kitchen to check my answering machine as soon as I walked in the door. It was blinking. It was the last store I’d visited asking me to call to set up an interview.
Within days, they offered me a full-time position. (Apparently, I passed this application). I made the Top 10 in sales several times in the short time I worked there before moving on to work in the newspaper business. I guess the old saying is true, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”
It’s still beyond me how someone can fail a job application, but this time, it was their loss.
I was a single mother left with sort of an empty nest, no income and three children to support.
I decided to go to the local shopping mall to look for a job. After all, the mall is the place where all the hip, cool people work and hang out. I went from store to store, choosing the ones where I thought it would be fun to work.
One place I chose to apply, a major department store (we wont' mention any names, JCP), requires you to fill out your application on a computer. This application asks dozens of questions, such as: “If you have a problem with a customer, what would you do?” The multiple-choice offerings went something like this: A) Call your supervisor. B) Call a co-worker. C) Call your mother. D) Tell them too bad and to go home. (Well, I might be exaggerating a little.)
I went to the receptionist to let her know I was finished. She punched her keyboard and brought up my results. Job applications have results?
Apparently they do these days. And apparently they’re pass/fail. She told me I’d failed the application.
Had I known about this application/examination, maybe I could’ve studied, prepared for it. I was shocked, thinking, “How can you fail a job application?” What happened
to the old-fashioned, “We’ll review your application get back to you” or “We don’t have any openings at this time” or “Don’t call us, we’ll call you”?
I think the woman behind the counter could see the surprised look on my face and told me I could reapply in 30 days, or she could give me the handwritten version right then. I told her I’d come back another time.
I thought about it a while and wasn’t sure how to react. It’s tough for people who have been homemakers for years to get back into the job market, but I was sure these things could be taught.
Every employer has its own way of running things, and those things must be taught on the job, not asked on a questionnaire — excuse me — job application. This method probably gave a failing grade to many potentially good employees, discouraging them. I would do my best for them, but I guess they want ‘correct’ responses even though there were no absolute answers.
Not to worry. I proceeded down the mall and stopped at a few small shops to fill out more applications. I ended that day before noon at another major department store, where I filled out one last application. It was a real sheet of paper with an ink pen. I turned it in, ran an errand or two, and was home in time for lunch.
I went into the kitchen to check my answering machine as soon as I walked in the door. It was blinking. It was the last store I’d visited asking me to call to set up an interview.
Within days, they offered me a full-time position. (Apparently, I passed this application). I made the Top 10 in sales several times in the short time I worked there before moving on to work in the newspaper business. I guess the old saying is true, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”
It’s still beyond me how someone can fail a job application, but this time, it was their loss.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste
I met a man who either needs a new eye exam, or he’s a real flatterer.
I was in line at a Platte City grocery store last week to rent a video when he began talking to me. He flattered me, saying I must be a cheerleader, no more than a junior in high school. In the real world, I’m a 36-year-old (today’s my birthday) mother of two high school children and one who will enter the fifth grade this fall. (This was written 5 years ago, so I'm not 36 anymore.)
This gentleman told me to let him know how my rental, “A Beautiful Mind” with Russell Crowe, was. I know he was just kidding, being friendly, but after watching the movie, I thought writing this could not only answer his request, (if he reads this) but encourage us all with this story of overcoming great odds.
Despite my dislike for the actor, the movie, based on a true story, was good. A little slow during the first half, the second half began to unfold with Crowe’s character, Dr. John Nash determined to overcome his schizophrenia.
It was the 1950s and he was a brilliant young man who married his true love, Alicia, and began a bright career in mathematics at M.I.T. During his wife’s pregnancy, delusions began to overtake his life. His thinking changed from scientific and rational to the delusional thinking characteristic of those who are diagnosed as schizophrenic or paranoid schizophrenic.
Nash became paranoid, believing he was into code breaking for the U.S. government. He was convinced Russians would harm his wife and child if he ignored the omnipresent, aggressive government boss in his mind who gave him orders to go through magazines looking for codes and deposit his discoveries in a mailbox behind an iron gate.
He was so convinced, he even believed they had implanted an infrared access code for the drop box under the skin in his arm and tried to rip it out in hospital lockup. Also living in his mind were a college roommate and a young niece. It finally dawned on him one day that this “roommate’s” niece never aged.
Upon entering the hospital, his arms and legs
were restrained, and he was given insulin, other medications and shock therapy to control the delusions.
The government conspirators who worked for a CIA-type agency were actually ‘seen’ by Nash. He had conversations, even altercations with them. As Alicia came inside from retrieving laundry one night, her husband had started the baby’s bath and left him lying in a tub of running water. She rescued the crying baby, as the water was about to cover his face and rushed to phone the doctor. At that moment, the government boss appeared and in the process of trying to protect his wife from him, Nash knocked her and their baby son to the ground, putting more strain on their marriage.
Since his work suffered while he was on the medications and he was unable to be intimate with his wife, he stopped taking the drugs, discarding them into a desk drawer.
Nash was determined to teach a class with real students and continue his research, but those situations put so much stress on him, the delusions heightened. As things became worse, his wife and physician insisted he voluntarily return to the hospital.
Not wanting to resume shock therapy and drugs, he refused, and focused on ignoring the people he saw in his mind. The more he concentrated and told them he was no longer able to speak to them, the stronger he became, until he was able to function in the real world again. He was later recognized with the Nobel Prize for his research in the mid-1990s, with his wife and son still by his side.
So many people want to blame others for all the bad things they do, or that happen to them, but here is a man who had every excuse to fail, yet overcame. There are others who have no excuse to fail, but find every reason to and blame it on everyone else.
No matter what has happened to me, I’ve never had to worry about the appearance that I’m having a fight with the air, or imaginary people are stalking me or having the feeling that someone is going to kill my family.
My outlook in life is that there is always someone who has it worse than I do — not that there is someone who has it better than I do. I am fortunate to have what I have and am grateful for it. If we all go around wishing we had what the Joneses have, we’d be miserable all the time. Plus, what if the Joneses appear to have it all, but have their own demons the outside world doesn’t know about?
Money doesn’t buy happiness, or power, or love.
This brilliant doctor had a terrible illness, suffered many years and surely still struggles every day with it, but determination and his struggle to return to more scientific and rational thinking saved his life and his family. He didn’t give up, despite his demons. His wife stuck by his side through the decades in an ever-changing world, refusing to let the changing times contribute to a downfall.
It’s a story that should give hope to every one of us. If he can manage those demons in his mind, we all surely can manage our everyday demons and have a full life — and maybe even help someone else go through a tough time, too.
I was in line at a Platte City grocery store last week to rent a video when he began talking to me. He flattered me, saying I must be a cheerleader, no more than a junior in high school. In the real world, I’m a 36-year-old (today’s my birthday) mother of two high school children and one who will enter the fifth grade this fall. (This was written 5 years ago, so I'm not 36 anymore.)
This gentleman told me to let him know how my rental, “A Beautiful Mind” with Russell Crowe, was. I know he was just kidding, being friendly, but after watching the movie, I thought writing this could not only answer his request, (if he reads this) but encourage us all with this story of overcoming great odds.
Despite my dislike for the actor, the movie, based on a true story, was good. A little slow during the first half, the second half began to unfold with Crowe’s character, Dr. John Nash determined to overcome his schizophrenia.
It was the 1950s and he was a brilliant young man who married his true love, Alicia, and began a bright career in mathematics at M.I.T. During his wife’s pregnancy, delusions began to overtake his life. His thinking changed from scientific and rational to the delusional thinking characteristic of those who are diagnosed as schizophrenic or paranoid schizophrenic.
Nash became paranoid, believing he was into code breaking for the U.S. government. He was convinced Russians would harm his wife and child if he ignored the omnipresent, aggressive government boss in his mind who gave him orders to go through magazines looking for codes and deposit his discoveries in a mailbox behind an iron gate.
He was so convinced, he even believed they had implanted an infrared access code for the drop box under the skin in his arm and tried to rip it out in hospital lockup. Also living in his mind were a college roommate and a young niece. It finally dawned on him one day that this “roommate’s” niece never aged.
Upon entering the hospital, his arms and legs
were restrained, and he was given insulin, other medications and shock therapy to control the delusions.
The government conspirators who worked for a CIA-type agency were actually ‘seen’ by Nash. He had conversations, even altercations with them. As Alicia came inside from retrieving laundry one night, her husband had started the baby’s bath and left him lying in a tub of running water. She rescued the crying baby, as the water was about to cover his face and rushed to phone the doctor. At that moment, the government boss appeared and in the process of trying to protect his wife from him, Nash knocked her and their baby son to the ground, putting more strain on their marriage.
Since his work suffered while he was on the medications and he was unable to be intimate with his wife, he stopped taking the drugs, discarding them into a desk drawer.
Nash was determined to teach a class with real students and continue his research, but those situations put so much stress on him, the delusions heightened. As things became worse, his wife and physician insisted he voluntarily return to the hospital.
Not wanting to resume shock therapy and drugs, he refused, and focused on ignoring the people he saw in his mind. The more he concentrated and told them he was no longer able to speak to them, the stronger he became, until he was able to function in the real world again. He was later recognized with the Nobel Prize for his research in the mid-1990s, with his wife and son still by his side.
So many people want to blame others for all the bad things they do, or that happen to them, but here is a man who had every excuse to fail, yet overcame. There are others who have no excuse to fail, but find every reason to and blame it on everyone else.
No matter what has happened to me, I’ve never had to worry about the appearance that I’m having a fight with the air, or imaginary people are stalking me or having the feeling that someone is going to kill my family.
My outlook in life is that there is always someone who has it worse than I do — not that there is someone who has it better than I do. I am fortunate to have what I have and am grateful for it. If we all go around wishing we had what the Joneses have, we’d be miserable all the time. Plus, what if the Joneses appear to have it all, but have their own demons the outside world doesn’t know about?
Money doesn’t buy happiness, or power, or love.
This brilliant doctor had a terrible illness, suffered many years and surely still struggles every day with it, but determination and his struggle to return to more scientific and rational thinking saved his life and his family. He didn’t give up, despite his demons. His wife stuck by his side through the decades in an ever-changing world, refusing to let the changing times contribute to a downfall.
It’s a story that should give hope to every one of us. If he can manage those demons in his mind, we all surely can manage our everyday demons and have a full life — and maybe even help someone else go through a tough time, too.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Camping Trip Proves to Be Adventure
Turtles and snakes and burps, oh my!
Our family has found another summer activity to try. In addition to Worlds of Fun, some of the kids have voiced their desire to go camping. I remember hating the whole camping thing as a teenager. I couldn’t live without my friends and the comforts of home — my blow dryer, my curling iron, my radio, my bed… If my parents mentioned a camping trip, a feeling of dread passed over me. Since I couldn’t get out of it, I usually asked if I could take a friend along. Sometimes they would say yes. One trip, they let me take my girlfriend, Lorrie. We had a good camping trip, canoeing on the Current River singing the Flintstones theme song. “…from the town of Bedrock….”
My 14-year-old daughter is a chip off the block. “Aw, Mom, do we really have to go camping this weekend? Can I take a friend? Will it be both nights?” I had to remind her that there are already nine of us, which requires two tents (if we ever receive the second tent we ordered). The state parks have a two-tent limit, so I don’t know where we’d put another person. There’s also a six-person limit to a campsite, but the camp attendant told us they have to make exceptions in cases like ours. They can’t very well split up parents and children. (Wait a minute…why not?)
We went on our first outing last weekend, with four of the kids. From the time we set up the tent until dark, the kids couldn’t wait to get in the tent and go to bed. We had to keep telling them to come out until it was actually bedtime. We took them to look for frogs, water rats, turtles and other creatures at the lake and roasted marshmallows to keep them occupied and their minds off going to bed. At last, we said ok, you guys can go into the tent and get to bed now.
“Do we have to?”
I don’t get it. We couldn’t keep them out of that tent all afternoon and they were so very tired, they just had to go to sleep immediately. Now, at 9:30 p.m., they aren’t tired? I forgot, kids are known to be contrary.
Once we got the three boys inside, we kept hearing laughter. Apparently, boys will continue to be boys, belching and making other, um, noises. The youngest, a girl, was sitting on her daddy’s lap in front of the fire waiting for it to die down, (and proving she could belch as masterfully as any boy), until dad went to find some corks for the boys.
By 10:30, I was done waiting for them to calm down and I decided to turn in also. It took a while, but they finally zonked out.
At 6 a.m., we were awakened to the sound of rain viciously slapping the tent. We were certainly glad we installed the rain cover when we set up the tent. We went back to sleep since we were staying dry and spent a lazy morning in the tent, enjoying the kids sleeping in.
The rest of the day was spent watching snakes in the rocks at the lake’s edge and trying to find a small turtle we could take home, since nine of the 10 baby-cricket-size frogs they caught in the rain at Worlds of Fun are dead now.
We also learned we need to plan better before the next trip. We had expected this first camping trip to be a kidless one, but we spoke to my husband’s kids and they were dying to join us after we got there, so we were a little unprepared. Since we were thrilled they wanted to join us, their mother brought them to us at the park and we made do with what we had brought. Always remember pillows when you are going to sleep on the ground. We began making a list right away so next time we’re more prepared. And if we’re not, surely there will be a Wally World nearby, won’t there?
It looks like we will be camping this weekend. My son called me at work to tell me the tent arrived - just in time. Now if we can convince my daughter of the fun to ensue.
We couldn’t convince my daughter how much fun camping was going to be (she will soon have all the fun she can stand, camping for two weeks with her dad). And it turns out my husband’s oldest son wasn’t convinced either. He stayed home with his mother and didn’t come with his siblings even though he was the one who seemed most anxious to do the whole camping thing in the first place.
Kids. Go figure.
Our family has found another summer activity to try. In addition to Worlds of Fun, some of the kids have voiced their desire to go camping. I remember hating the whole camping thing as a teenager. I couldn’t live without my friends and the comforts of home — my blow dryer, my curling iron, my radio, my bed… If my parents mentioned a camping trip, a feeling of dread passed over me. Since I couldn’t get out of it, I usually asked if I could take a friend along. Sometimes they would say yes. One trip, they let me take my girlfriend, Lorrie. We had a good camping trip, canoeing on the Current River singing the Flintstones theme song. “…from the town of Bedrock….”
My 14-year-old daughter is a chip off the block. “Aw, Mom, do we really have to go camping this weekend? Can I take a friend? Will it be both nights?” I had to remind her that there are already nine of us, which requires two tents (if we ever receive the second tent we ordered). The state parks have a two-tent limit, so I don’t know where we’d put another person. There’s also a six-person limit to a campsite, but the camp attendant told us they have to make exceptions in cases like ours. They can’t very well split up parents and children. (Wait a minute…why not?)
We went on our first outing last weekend, with four of the kids. From the time we set up the tent until dark, the kids couldn’t wait to get in the tent and go to bed. We had to keep telling them to come out until it was actually bedtime. We took them to look for frogs, water rats, turtles and other creatures at the lake and roasted marshmallows to keep them occupied and their minds off going to bed. At last, we said ok, you guys can go into the tent and get to bed now.
“Do we have to?”
I don’t get it. We couldn’t keep them out of that tent all afternoon and they were so very tired, they just had to go to sleep immediately. Now, at 9:30 p.m., they aren’t tired? I forgot, kids are known to be contrary.
Once we got the three boys inside, we kept hearing laughter. Apparently, boys will continue to be boys, belching and making other, um, noises. The youngest, a girl, was sitting on her daddy’s lap in front of the fire waiting for it to die down, (and proving she could belch as masterfully as any boy), until dad went to find some corks for the boys.
By 10:30, I was done waiting for them to calm down and I decided to turn in also. It took a while, but they finally zonked out.
At 6 a.m., we were awakened to the sound of rain viciously slapping the tent. We were certainly glad we installed the rain cover when we set up the tent. We went back to sleep since we were staying dry and spent a lazy morning in the tent, enjoying the kids sleeping in.
The rest of the day was spent watching snakes in the rocks at the lake’s edge and trying to find a small turtle we could take home, since nine of the 10 baby-cricket-size frogs they caught in the rain at Worlds of Fun are dead now.
We also learned we need to plan better before the next trip. We had expected this first camping trip to be a kidless one, but we spoke to my husband’s kids and they were dying to join us after we got there, so we were a little unprepared. Since we were thrilled they wanted to join us, their mother brought them to us at the park and we made do with what we had brought. Always remember pillows when you are going to sleep on the ground. We began making a list right away so next time we’re more prepared. And if we’re not, surely there will be a Wally World nearby, won’t there?
It looks like we will be camping this weekend. My son called me at work to tell me the tent arrived - just in time. Now if we can convince my daughter of the fun to ensue.
We couldn’t convince my daughter how much fun camping was going to be (she will soon have all the fun she can stand, camping for two weeks with her dad). And it turns out my husband’s oldest son wasn’t convinced either. He stayed home with his mother and didn’t come with his siblings even though he was the one who seemed most anxious to do the whole camping thing in the first place.
Kids. Go figure.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
I'll pledge my allegiance 'under God,' thank you
I have some questions about taking the words “under God” out of the pledge of allegiance.
What about the person(s) who changed the pledge in 1954 to include “under God”, how would they feel about government taking out what they must’ve believed was the cornerstone of the pledge? What about those who adopted it as our country's pledge? Where were the atheists/freedom criers then? (You might be safe betting that if something tragic happens to them, an "Oh my God" or "Oh God" might slip out of their mouths.) But don't make them say or hear it in a pledge that, realistically, isn't even said every day.
If you don't want to say the pledge, don't. It would be different to protest if this was a new pledge being adopted, but it's been around for many years. Is someone going to make a big stink about our U.S. currency, which declares “In God We Trust”?
Because one man didn’t want his daughter to hear the pledge with “under God” at school, the Supreme Court is going to possibly deem it unconstitutional?
Did anyone force the child to say the pledge? When I was a child, I don’t remember anyone making me say the pledge. Saying the pledge didn’t make me a Christian; many other factors played in that. Did someone force this father to hear the pledge as a child and he’s now traumatized as an adult, trying to save his little girl? Perhaps he could move to another country where he has more “freedoms.” I think we live in the greatest country on earth.
I don’t agree with some things being taught as fact in the public schools, but I’ve taught my children what I believe and they know that everything they’re taught in school isn’t necessarily true according to our beliefs. They are taught to learn what they can in school and go on. Parents can instill whatever beliefs they choose, however, I think they should leave a country’s long-standing pledge alone.
I don’t like a lot of laws and rules here, but that would be a whole other story. Who likes being told to wear a seatbelt? But, you may choose whether or not to wear it and pay the consequences if you don’t. Either the police catch us or we get hurt, hurt someone or die in an accident. It’s a choice.
This democracy was founded with God included, and in this country, the majority rules. Maybe a national vote should be taken to clear this up.
Separation of church and state was intended to keep the government out of the church's business, not the other way around. And since when is saying “under God” about church anyway? Church is a place where a group of people meet to worship God. “Church” is not merely saying "God". Most people have a god or gods, no matter what they are, so the pledge should cover almost anyone who wants to be included.
How about swearing in those who testify in a court of law with "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth 'so help you YOU?' Would you rather someone swear by oneself, to no one or nothing, or God? I’d rather someone testifying on my behalf to feel like they’re swearing to “tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth” to a higher being (that would be God) rather than having no motivation or anyone to answer to.
Perhaps that’s why some people don’t want to include God’s name in anything -- they don’t want to feel like they have to answer for anything to anyone but themselves? Whether we like it or not, we all have to answer for our actions, whether it’s to God, a parent, a teacher, the law or each other. We all, as humans, hold each other accountable.
What can it hurt to say God’s name if you’re an atheist? Who’s going to care? In the atheist’s opinion, to whom will they answer in the hereafter for it? We Christians, who do believe in God, believe we will ultimately answer to the God we are all arguing about taking out of our pledge of allegiance if we don’t stand up and defend him.
Sometimes having freedom weighs us down. Kids cry they want freedom. Does that mean they should get to do anything they want, or should parents limit them for their own good? Everyone cries that our freedoms are being taken away one by one.
We’re making them say “under God” when we pledge allegiance to the flag of this great country. This wouldn’t be a great country without those who fought for our so-called freedom. The stripes in the flag we salute represents the bloodshed of war, and purity, which none of us possess, only God possibly could. Were those soldiers all free as they were slain for our freedom? I think not. They lost their lives; their families lost them forever.
Being free doesn’t always mean getting things our way. It’s about sacrifice. You can choose to not recite the pledge if you don’t believe what it is saying and has said for many years, but if you take it out, what shall those of us who believe it should remain do?
I suppose we can all just say it how we choose and be out of sync with one another. That’s no way to be united now, is it?
What about the person(s) who changed the pledge in 1954 to include “under God”, how would they feel about government taking out what they must’ve believed was the cornerstone of the pledge? What about those who adopted it as our country's pledge? Where were the atheists/freedom criers then? (You might be safe betting that if something tragic happens to them, an "Oh my God" or "Oh God" might slip out of their mouths.) But don't make them say or hear it in a pledge that, realistically, isn't even said every day.
If you don't want to say the pledge, don't. It would be different to protest if this was a new pledge being adopted, but it's been around for many years. Is someone going to make a big stink about our U.S. currency, which declares “In God We Trust”?
Because one man didn’t want his daughter to hear the pledge with “under God” at school, the Supreme Court is going to possibly deem it unconstitutional?
Did anyone force the child to say the pledge? When I was a child, I don’t remember anyone making me say the pledge. Saying the pledge didn’t make me a Christian; many other factors played in that. Did someone force this father to hear the pledge as a child and he’s now traumatized as an adult, trying to save his little girl? Perhaps he could move to another country where he has more “freedoms.” I think we live in the greatest country on earth.
I don’t agree with some things being taught as fact in the public schools, but I’ve taught my children what I believe and they know that everything they’re taught in school isn’t necessarily true according to our beliefs. They are taught to learn what they can in school and go on. Parents can instill whatever beliefs they choose, however, I think they should leave a country’s long-standing pledge alone.
I don’t like a lot of laws and rules here, but that would be a whole other story. Who likes being told to wear a seatbelt? But, you may choose whether or not to wear it and pay the consequences if you don’t. Either the police catch us or we get hurt, hurt someone or die in an accident. It’s a choice.
This democracy was founded with God included, and in this country, the majority rules. Maybe a national vote should be taken to clear this up.
Separation of church and state was intended to keep the government out of the church's business, not the other way around. And since when is saying “under God” about church anyway? Church is a place where a group of people meet to worship God. “Church” is not merely saying "God". Most people have a god or gods, no matter what they are, so the pledge should cover almost anyone who wants to be included.
How about swearing in those who testify in a court of law with "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth 'so help you YOU?' Would you rather someone swear by oneself, to no one or nothing, or God? I’d rather someone testifying on my behalf to feel like they’re swearing to “tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth” to a higher being (that would be God) rather than having no motivation or anyone to answer to.
Perhaps that’s why some people don’t want to include God’s name in anything -- they don’t want to feel like they have to answer for anything to anyone but themselves? Whether we like it or not, we all have to answer for our actions, whether it’s to God, a parent, a teacher, the law or each other. We all, as humans, hold each other accountable.
What can it hurt to say God’s name if you’re an atheist? Who’s going to care? In the atheist’s opinion, to whom will they answer in the hereafter for it? We Christians, who do believe in God, believe we will ultimately answer to the God we are all arguing about taking out of our pledge of allegiance if we don’t stand up and defend him.
Sometimes having freedom weighs us down. Kids cry they want freedom. Does that mean they should get to do anything they want, or should parents limit them for their own good? Everyone cries that our freedoms are being taken away one by one.
We’re making them say “under God” when we pledge allegiance to the flag of this great country. This wouldn’t be a great country without those who fought for our so-called freedom. The stripes in the flag we salute represents the bloodshed of war, and purity, which none of us possess, only God possibly could. Were those soldiers all free as they were slain for our freedom? I think not. They lost their lives; their families lost them forever.
Being free doesn’t always mean getting things our way. It’s about sacrifice. You can choose to not recite the pledge if you don’t believe what it is saying and has said for many years, but if you take it out, what shall those of us who believe it should remain do?
I suppose we can all just say it how we choose and be out of sync with one another. That’s no way to be united now, is it?
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