Articles
Destroying The Past?
In our world today there is a lot of talk relative to the nation’s statues and their history. I must admit, I have a hard time believing this is really about history. The fact is, we all have a history. Do we just wipe it away because of the unpleasant things in our past? When tomorrow comes, today will be history. How do I delete it?
There are unpleasant things that are part of my childhood. There are unpleasant things that have been part of my years as an adult. My parents were great parents but they were not perfect. My kids will tell you I was not a perfect dad. My wife will tell you I am not a perfect husband. Am I just going to delete my parents from my life? No. Are my kids just going to act as if I do not exist? No. Is my wife going to discard me to the ash heap? No. Edmund Burke said, “We have a duty to the past, present and future.” Much of the past is not pleasant but we still owe a duty to it.
The fact is, we read a Bible that is in the past. Things written in the past are for our learning (Rom 15:4). Because there are unpleasant stories are we just going to burn it? Rip it to shreds? I mean, there is bad stuff in the Bible; some really inhumane things that happened. Even some of the best and some of the heroes have a past that was, at best, checkered.
All that has happened in America is not good. Yes, people have been treated in malignant ways. The Civil War was not good. No war has been. The way the Indians were treated was not right. The way women were used and treated as disposable commodities is abhorrent. But all that has nothing to do with me. Today I get to choose what I do with the past and how I can make the future better.
When I read the Bible and learn about the evil and abhorrent things that happened, do I discard it? I try to learn from it. The men who founded this nation were not perfect. The people in the Bible were not perfect. Neither are those who are seemingly upset about all the past. I wonder: in 50 or 100 years, who will break their statues?
Not all in our past is good, but I am proud of my past. I am thankful for my mistakes of the past. They shaped me for today. I am proud of the past in this nation. Those in the past helped make this nation great so that those who protest can tear them apart?. How sad! What a shame!
Rickie
