Differences
September 12, 2002
7:32 a.m.
My name is Ron Collins. I live in the greatest country in the world. This revelation did not strike me when I woke up yesterday, nor did it hit when I spent the morning writing. It did not strike me as I listened to the tributes on our local radio as I showered. In fact, I'll admit that I was thinking more along the lines of what I needed to get done later that day. Perhaps it started to sink in when I left for work and saw the day was beautiful and blue-skied. I know I got an inkling of it when I realized how many flags were flying from people's houses, and it got stronger when I saw the flag at half-mast when I drove past the hotel that's on the way out of my neighborhood. But my first inkling of it started with a traffic jam. Columbus, Indiana does not get traffic jams. But it did yesterday. My road was backed up, and at first I was getting angry. But as I edged closer, I saw a mass of people gathering. Most carried flags or flowers or banners. They wore red and blue mostly. Every race, every age. Some wore glasses, some wore hats, some sweatshirts and dresses and pants. Some looked dirt poor, some didn't. they had expressions that ranged from stern to resigned to tear-filled. Thousands of people. All gathering together in front of a large American flag. We are all different. We look different. We talk different. We think about the world in different ways. Some of us even get angry or worried merely because of the way various people in various positions across the country think. We're going to make horrible mistakes, they say. And we probably will. American history is full of mistakes. We have a lot to be embarrassed of. But in the long run and the big picture, I think we can be proud of who we are. In the long run the American system works because the eventual power always comes back to the people who live here. Yesterday was not a day to talk about our differences. It was, instead, a day to be together. My name is Ron Collins. I live in the greatest country in the world.  Daily Persistence is © Ron Collins |
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