The natural order
- Font Size:
- Default font size
- Larger font size
By Arthur J. Heyderman | Saturday, March 01, 2008 |
I grew up Jewish in New York City. On television, I watched newsreels of the liberation of Nazi Concentration Camps, the terrible horror as mountains of naked bodies were bulldozed into trenches for mass burials. A friend’s mother was a camp survivor complete with a number tattooed on her forearm. She was skinny as a rail and afraid to go out. She was a happy woman watching her son playing with a friend in the peace and security of America. She was happy that life was better for him than it had been for her. I believe that the single most important matter for all peoples is the well being of their families, not their material possessions.
I recall during the great East Coast Blackout, I was an ROTC cadet at the time and a few friends and I pitched in to help. We led folks to safety out of darkened subway trains, and we directed traffic at major road intersections. Later in life, I came to the Quad Cities. There were floods and I helped fill sandbags along with co-workers on the Arsenal. Nobody ever asked for a thank-you, they were just doing what was right. I learned ‘Love Thy Neighbor’ isn’t just a concept or a cliché; it’s a way of life.
I joined the American Civil Liberties Union and served six years on their national board. We debated policies on Civil Liberties, and thru the give and take of those debates, I realized their importance. I learned that the rights we defend today would one day be looked upon by our children as just the natural order of things and that they would imagine America any other way.
I realized that the natural progress of humanity has been toward increased freedoms and decreased conflict. At times there have been backslides, mostly when cynical leaders have used hatred and fear for their own political purposes and self-aggrandizement. Still, throughout all history, freedoms and liberties have increased, bigotry has decreased and conflict has been looked upon with more and more disdain.
This I believe: People are inherently good. That is the natural condition of mankind. I shall take this optimism to my grave, secure in the absolute certainty that I am right. To believe anything else would be unbearable.
This I Believe
Bettendorf Library is encouraging a community read of “This I Believe,” a collection of essays from notable and regular Americans about their core beliefs.
Read
Pick up a free copy of the book at the Bettendorf library. Visit the One Book One Bettendorf Web site: obob.qctimes.com to read more.
Write
Write about one of your core beliefs. Submit your own “This I Believe” essay of 300 to 500 words. Find essay guidelines and submit your own through the Website at obob.qctimes.com Web site, or
e-mail it to opinions@qctimes.com.
Meet the editors
“This I Believe” editors Jay Allison and Dan Gediman visit the Bettendorf library
7 to 8:30 p.m., April 3.
del.icio.us
Digg
NewsVine
Fark
redditMore Stories By Arthur J. Heyderman
» More Editorials Stories
Highest Rated Articles from the last 7 Days
- Technology News Articles
- Millions of Products on Sale. Read User Reviews & Store Ratings.
- www.NexTag.com
- 2008 Diet Of The Year:
- Finally, A Diet That Really Works! Seen On CNN, NBC, CBS & Fox News.
- www.Wu-YiSource.com
- Cheap Airfare
- Compare multiple travel sites. Discount web fares made easy.
- www.LowFares.com
- Ads by Yahoo!
