America

Below is copied, from a book of Max Ehrmann’s poems, a piece called “America” that I believe should resonate with the many wonderful people in the USA. But remember that this was written early last century – I believe sometime before 1910. But what has changed?

America

Lincoln, rise up from out thy tomb today,

Thou lover of the lives of common men,

America has work for thee again.

Here women want in sight of wealth’s display,

Man grinds his brother down and holds sway

As in the times of bloody lash and den,

Save now the flesh is white, not black as then.

In toiling holes young girls grow old, decay.

Though thou art dead, could but thy soul return

In one who loved his fellow-men as thou;

Instead of greed that we might justice learn,

Love character in place of gold as now,

Write far across our native land’s sweet soil,

“Here none shall live upon another’s toil!”

The Eyes Have it.

It is always the eyes – blue, brown, hazel or green. Generally the first thing anyone does when meeting another is to make contact with their eyes. A great deal can be gleaned from eye contact. Anger; coldness or indifference; surprise; longing; stubbornness; pleading; sadness; fear; hatred; love – the whole gambit of human emotions are expressed in and through the eyes.

Eyes are a window into the soul.

The one that always affects me is eyes that express hurt. Eyes that ask “what did you do that for – that hurt me”? Not just with fellow humans but with our fellow beings. Such an expression always cuts me to the quick and stays with me for a very long time.

I can remember the expression in the eyes of a cat that, for reasons I need not explain, I had to put down even though it was healthy and quite young. It looked over its shoulder with an expression of “why is this happening – why are you doing this to me?” I took the cowards way out and did not stay to witness the end – I just couldn’t!

Likewise when I have hurt someone close to me, particularly family members – it always affects me deeply. Particularly if there are tears. Their look of disbelief and hurt, telling me that I have (possibly and hopefully just temporarily) weakened the bond of trust between us always pulls me up short. It makes me reflect on aspects of myself that are sometimes quite unpleasant – matters relating to my ego and who I think I am or who I believe myself to be. And make me ask myself the question – “Why did I do or say that?”

Generally such moments are brought about by my thoughtlessness and not with “malice aforethought”. I really do try never to hurt anyone – obviously I don’t always succeed! 

What the word Sacrifice really means.

We have been hearing quite a lot about the word “sacrifice” recently – particularly in relation to US Presidential candidate Donald Trump and his "dispute" with the Khan family.

I am no Latin scholar but as I understand it the word Sacrifice derives from the Latin Sacrificium, which in turn has its root in the  Latin sacrificus (performing priestly functions or sacrifices), which combined the concepts sacra (sacred things) and facere (to do or perform).

Now, to my mind the parents of the late US Army Captain Humayun Khan, who sacrificed his life to save the men he commanded, are quite right in their statement that Trump has sacrificed nothing.

I cannot conceive that building large structures, employing “thousands of people” and spending millions of dollars equates in any shape or form with the term “sacrifice”.

So there we have it – Sacrifice actually means to make Sacred.