I learned so much by just observing nature. I see a plant with lush green leaves and on
the leaves live insects. Cooperation seems to be benefiting both. There is no loss of
identity, just a cooperation of species. On the local news today, stories abound
highlighting pride in skin color and barely a set of embracing once
nationality. How about you? What's more important to you? Your skin color or your
country? I look at the interplay with nature. Even the dead logs have a part to
play in the support of life. And I ask, what is more important? Leaves or insects?
Insects or birds? Birds or people? Interesting how easy it is to convince
so many people to kill each other based on color, religion, and ethnicity. It's way
too easy really. I give you, for example, I give you Iraq. Many Christians murdered
and millions of Christians displaced there. What have we created there anyway?
Then there's Serbia. Remember Croatia? How about Sudan? And what about Biafra? Then
I read the news today about Uganda. Yes, today. Yes, Uganda. The pride people are
taking in their ethnic cleansing there. All people in Uganda look alike to me.
But the politicians and religious leaders have found enough differences in
people that genocide is the result. After all, if you can emphasize the
differences in people, you detract from what is really important. I look at nature
and I'm in awe and how these so-called primitive life forms seem to cooperate.
Insects live on leaves, plants life growing on dead wood, birds living on
insects, all without malice or deliberate ethnic cleansing. As I read about Uganda,
I can't help but wonder what would have happened if in Uganda all the people had
placed their energy in building a country, growing national pride, putting
country ahead of race and ethnicity, as we do here. I am so glad that we, our
people, have evolved beyond color and ethnicity and have taken pride in our
unity and nationality. No more need to celebrate our adjective at the expense
of our noun. Ah yes, national pride. Please Google Uganda under ethnic cleansing
and civil war. It is not pretty.
