The country of America has made great strides since the Civil War. Racism and slavery ran rampant and now we have an African-American president.
I listened to the banter on the radio as angry thoughts bounced off the walls of the car. I stared blankly out the window at the streaks of light that dotted the early morning air, as a lady with a raspy voice interjected tat racism was over now that we have Barrack Obama as president. My face turned into a twisted distorted view of my once blank stare. My face was put into a blender as the words drifted from the radio. How could someone think that? There is no magical button that automatically gives everyone a blind outlook. There isn't a "Staple's Easy Button" for life, no sirree.
Has America really come that far or it just tolerance that has become more apparent?
Last night, I went to a Catholic Youth Group at my friend, Stephanie's church. And another thing happened that made me question tolerance. We had just finished eating macaroni and cheese (most of which ended up on Elena) and we settled ourselves into our seats, bracing for Andy's sermon that awaited us. Andy's sermons are the stuff of legends in terms of how long they are. We partially watched a video that depicted hell before the sermon. I realize that religion is believing whole-heartedly in something that isn't visible to the naked eye. But is it okay to denounce other religions based on your beliefs? In the video it said that reincarnation is completely false; Hindus and Buddhists base their whole lives in what they believe and just to denounce it like that is unsettling to me.
Has tolerance really come that far or are we just kidding ourselves? Have we really created a tolerant society or are we just faking it? People hide their true thoughts in our society because they feel that if they speak them the opposition will harbor them with guilt. Yes, we have elected Barrack Obama but that doesn't mean that racism is completely obliterated; there still are cults and gangs that preach white supremacy.
Our society is not perfect and never will be. But that doesn't mean that we can't improve it. Tolerance is one of the most important aspects of society and without a high level of tolerance, wrong moral acts would become the normality. To become tolerant of each other we have to realize that we are all humans in this together. Together as a whole unit, not separate compartments divided by race, religion, sexuality, intelligence, location, or any other petty personal matter. We are a whole united by our humanity.
Kindell
