Tuesday; October 28
On this day in 1886, the Statue of Liberty was dedicated in New York Harbor. Most people readily recognize “Lady Liberty” as a symbol of the growth and development of the American way of life. While her grand size is incredible, there is something even more special about her. At the base of the statue is a poem by Emma Lazarus entitled “The New Colossus”. In a tribute to a new way of thinking, the poet speaks for the statue by noting, “‘Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!’ cries she with silent lips. ‘Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!’”. Through the years our nation has struggled with uniting cultures and today is no different. While there is no way 340 million people will see eye-to-eye on the best way to build our neighborhoods, as we go through the process we should be neighborly. It has become all too easy to be critical of our nation and its history, but one thing we should hang on to is a desire to care for people from across our country and around the world. Is it our mission as a nation to defend the rest of the planet? I don’t know about that, but I do know that as good people we have a responsibility to help as many as we can find contentment in in life. No, that’s not an easy task, but if we have that as a starting point, we will be more likely to find a way to make our world (not just our nation) a better place in which to live.
Sure, there is value in having an orderly process for society to exist, but it must never be used to belittle anyone! Let’s do right by our neighbors – whether they live across the street, across town or across the globe.
Think About It!