History

 

"History is when wish becomes a reality, and the reality becomes a legacy."

-- F.A. Villari

You can make up history, but it isn't really history if you do.  

The funny thing about history is that it needs to unfold in reality.  If it doesn't, then it never happened, and the only history we know is the lie that was told.  We do this in classrooms in most countries in the world.  I'd like to say that society doesn't do this in the United States, but students have been forced to select what they think is reality, since before I entered high school, in 1967.

Another funny thing about history is that the people in charge get to write the history.  These are usually the winners of the battles.  The winners think it is their right to lie through their teeth. I mean, who is going to argue with them? This history isn't completely factual, but it is what the winners want us to believe.  They can weave a new history that even the warriors who fought the battles can believe.  Our current President is proof of this, and some people still think he is worth voting back into office.  You really can't cure stupidity. 

I had a socialist teacher who ripped down the American flag from the wall and stomped on it, just to make some senseless point. A football player took the flag to the office, against her wishes.  He was much bigger than her.  He advised the office to please not put another flag in the classroom for her to disrespect. These were the days of the renowned communist Angela Davis, who seemed to be always in the news, especially in California.  Socialism seemed to always be a footnote in California. Forgotten were the days of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), and the Hollywood blacklist. The "kind of history" I was forced to learn, went through some changes and came out a bit better, but only a bit. It paid to learn to read.  Socialism has finally, and quietly, infected most of the west coast. But, this is just my observation.

My dad was right about his observations. In the early 1990s, he reasoned that California was turning into a socialist pit that he didn't want to live in.  This was his supposition, based on his observations, not on concrete facts.  But, he sold all his holdings and moved Mom back to Mississippi, where she started.  California slowly proved my father was right.  His "suppositions" became facts.  It turned out, though, that Dad was more than right.  The entire west coast of the United States became an expensive pit to live in, and the "deep South" was, and is, reaping the benefits, as people move out of the crime-infested "big cities" and move to the "new" South.  I say "new" because the lies you hear about the New South are proving to be just that - lies.

History is factual.  If you want to hear the truth, listen to the changes. The truth will always win out over time.  People will dig down to reveal the truth.  We call these people "historians." That makes sense, right?  Now, if these "historians" would teach our children, maybe we would climb out of the pit we are in and begin to move forward in a society based on truth.  Just a thought.

We can always fall back on the Bible, though, right?  It is, after all, based on "factual" Holy Scripture, right?  Well... I leave you with this quote, from Matthew Arnold.  Consider it food for thought:

"Protestantism has the method of Jesus with His secret too much left out of mind: Catholicism has His secret with His method too much left out of mind; neither has His unerring balance, His intuition, His sweet reasonableness. But both have hold of a great truth, and get from it a great power."

-- Matthew Arnold (1822-1888)

Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch - it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either view any more right or wrong than the other. Opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form their own opinions, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint.

I fervently hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions, and while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion, in an arena of mutual respect, concerning those opinions offered. After twenty-three years of military intelligence, I believe that engaging each other in this manner, and in this arena, is a way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience... and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. Following his service career, he spent 17 years working with the premier and world-renowned Western Institutional Review Board, helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research. He also served 8 years on the Board of Directors for the Angela J. Bowen Foundation.

Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As a weapon for his war on intolerance... he chose the pen. He wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's personal, spiritual path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteered as the lead chaplain at a regional medical center.

Feel free to contact Pastor Tony at: tolerantpastor@gmail.com