As I celebrated my 65th birthday this month, I had a chance to reflect on my life, which has been impacted by both good and evil. I have come to accept this reality of human existence for what it is.
Good and evil are uniquely human phenomenon. Where there is no human involvement, there is no evil. For instance, we do not define unexpected loss of life by natural events, such as tsunami, as evil. Nature does not intend any harm upon any of us. It simply is what it is.
In contrast, World War II, for instance, was a classic example of a clash of good and evil involving human intent. Next year will mark the 70th anniversary of good having defeated evil. Millions of lives were lost – on both sides – during that process. Since the end of WWII, baby boomers (myself included) and descendants have become beneficiaries of peace-time existence where good has dominated the society, for the most part, in the Western hemisphere.
One of the saddest realizations is that the majority of those who fought on the side of evil was being manipulated by those in power to “fight to death” and had no choice in the matter of their own lives. I often wonder if, hypothetically, they were free to think and act for themselves, how many of them would have allowed themselves to be used as the manipulators’ pawns.
The more I study history, observe long-lasting human conflicts around the world, and experience life in the United States of America, the more I become drawn to the origin of this country. Each day I live, I feel the love the Founding Fathers had for the future generations of not only Americans but of humanity itself throughout the world.
What the Founding Fathers wanted for humanity was individual freedom from manipulation and/or disrespect by other human beings. They understood human nature. They understood the inter-connected nature of human societies. They understood absolute power corrupts absolutely. So they purposely made sure to create separate and independent branches of government – legislative, executive, and judicial – in order to create checks and balances to counter the human nature of those who rise to positions of power.
Let’s fast forward 87 years since the Declaration of Independence to 1863. During his Gettysburg Address, during the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln said that “government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” This means when we notice any one branch of the government abusing its power and/or overstepping these boundaries, it is up to us – citizens of the United States of America – to raise red flags and force the problem to be nipped in the bud. When we notice anyone in positions of power attempting to suppress freedom of speech, we, the people, need to take action.
Let’s fast forward another 82 years to 1945. Thank goodness, good defeated evil at the end of WWII. If evil were allowed to win, it would have thought nothing of destroying this great nation, including the Constitution of the United States of America. It may seem far-fetched to some of you but, from my vantage point, such a possibility is not remote at all.
For better or for worse, human nature is what it is. In other words, just because the United States won a war of good and evil in the past does not guarantee that good will always remain stronger than evil in this country. All human beings are imperfect. Any society, made up of humans, therefore, is imperfect. Unless we, the people, are vigilant, it is always at risk of enabling evil to take over and manipulate the masses. We need to be mindful of the fact that evil’s ways are often insidious and cunning. In other words, by the time most individuals realize they no longer have freedom, it will be too late.
Freedom was never free, is not today, and never will be. Because of where they came from and the circumstances that led them to declare independence from Great Britain, the Founding Fathers knew this. This is precisely why they established the foundation for all of humanity to enjoy freedom.
Except when disaster strikes, nature is simply amazing and stunningly beautiful. Life on earth is a miracle. Every human being is a part of that miracle. How evil is it, then, that some human beings have the audacity to think that they have the right to control other human beings – or worse yet, bring pain and suffering to others – be it within their own families or on a national scale?
As a naturalized US citizen who came here in search of freedom, my simple expectation has been that no human being be allowed to manipulate my right to be free. The USA is not perfect by any stretch of imagination but it has been good to me. If any country has a chance of keeping individual freedom alive, I believe the United States of America still does – at least as of this writing.
My wish for younger generations of Americans is that you focus on developing the ability to think for yourselves. Know that you have within you what it takes to be free and independent. Listen to your heart and be respectful of what makes you uniquely you.
Cheers!
