Family in a Turkish Village acrylic painting / 24” by 48” / $ 690.00
War of Ideologies
Donald Trump shouts about making America strong . I wonder what he really means. His words imply one direction – increase military might. Is that where America gets its strength?
Many of the candidates talk of war and fighting ISIS, with no discussion of why so many youth take up the call of Jihad. Their solutions are directed to increasing military spending, decreasing our privacy by freely accessing phone and internet messages, targeting peaceful Muslims, and “bombing the hell out of them” irrespective of whether innocent victims are killed. My head spins and my stomach churns when hearing candidates talk sound bites rather than strategic planning. It reminds me of how Hitler came to power, how he rallied Germans by making the Jews the enemy.
There is no doubt we have a serious threat that has to be handled on many fronts, but an important one is being ignored . . . reinvigorating what made America great in the first place. It was not military might that made immigrants want to come to this country, but the values we professed and the economic possibility for a better life. It was our humanity, the Bill of Rights, the vote, the ability disagree without being put in jail, and the respect given to man, woman and child despite race or religious preference. It was the idea of America as a melting pot and the belief that together we are stronger than any one individual.
ISIS too has a vision of a society, and use their ideology to attract revolutionaries to their cause. It is one in which men make decisions, provide for their families, and live strictly according to Sharia law. Their utopia maintains leadership though control and fear, yet somehow they are able to entice people to make the ultimate sacrifice for rewards after death.
The reality of how a select group of men at the top are getting wealthy and powerful by controlling water and oil is not spelled out in their propaganda. The fact that many revolutionaries are not practicing Muslims is kept quiet. Battle lines they established are philosophical and to fight them we have to answer in-kind. ISIS promotes their version of a good society and we must demonstrate why our way is better. Youth embraces utopian ideals. They want to make a better world. Let’s show them the way.
If the values that established our nation are believable then we must live by them. We should teach children our ideology and speak of it day and night. And we should implore the media to help instead of putting fuel on our advisories’ fire. They have a chance to play an important role by turning a negative, gossipy reporting style upside-down. Rather than feature the worst parts of our nature, I would appreciate equal time given to how neighbor helps neighbor, the richness of our freedoms, and the way so many more people than not do try to live by values imbedded in the constitution. Share with the world a vision of a democratic society that was, and still is, the dream of those who want to be free. We can develop an economy that works for all, so that youth don’t feel that their future is hopeless so they are willing to stay to develop their skills.
If the media— and I include bloggers in this comment — continues to hammer ugliness, if politicians don’t work together for the common good, and if citizens do not take responsibility for making sure that our system of government works, then we are no greater than ISIS. We can and we must do better.
Yes, this is a philosophical war and it is time to remind our citizens how precious and fortunate we are to be Americans. It is also a time to understand why other’s might like to live here so we can make appropriate accommodations to those who do respect our values.
Art work is always for sale. Contact me at marilynne@eichingerfineart.com or to see more, go to eichingerfineart.com.
I would love to hear your comments below.
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War of Ideologies
Donald Trump shouts about making America strong . I wonder what he really means. His words imply one direction – increase military might. Is that where America gets its strength?
Many of the candidates talk of war and fighting ISIS, with no discussion of why so many youth take up the call of Jihad. Their solutions are directed to increasing military spending, decreasing our privacy by freely accessing phone and internet messages, targeting peaceful Muslims, and “bombing the hell out of them” irrespective of whether innocent victims are killed. My head spins and my stomach churns when hearing candidates talk sound bites rather than strategic planning. It reminds me of how Hitler came to power, how he rallied Germans by making the Jews the enemy.
There is no doubt we have a serious threat that has to be handled on many fronts, but an important one is being ignored . . . reinvigorating what made America great in the first place. It was not military might that made immigrants want to come to this country, but the values we professed and the economic possibility for a better life. It was our humanity, the Bill of Rights, the vote, the ability disagree without being put in jail, and the respect given to man, woman and child despite race or religious preference. It was the idea of America as a melting pot and the belief that together we are stronger than any one individual.
ISIS too has a vision of a society, and use their ideology to attract revolutionaries to their cause. It is one in which men make decisions, provide for their families, and live strictly according to Sharia law. Their utopia maintains leadership though control and fear, yet somehow they are able to entice people to make the ultimate sacrifice for rewards after death.
The reality of how a select group of men at the top are getting wealthy and powerful by controlling water and oil is not spelled out in their propaganda. The fact that many revolutionaries are not practicing Muslims is kept quiet. Battle lines they established are philosophical and to fight them we have to answer in-kind. ISIS promotes their version of a good society and we must demonstrate why our way is better. Youth embraces utopian ideals. They want to make a better world. Let’s show them the way.
If the values that established our nation are believable then we must live by them. We should teach children our ideology and speak of it day and night. And we should implore the media to help instead of putting fuel on our advisories’ fire. They have a chance to play an important role by turning a negative, gossipy reporting style upside-down. Rather than feature the worst parts of our nature, I would appreciate equal time given to how neighbor helps neighbor, the richness of our freedoms, and the way so many more people than not do try to live by values imbedded in the constitution. Share with the world a vision of a democratic society that was, and still is, the dream of those who want to be free. We can develop an economy that works for all, so that youth don’t feel that their future is hopeless so they are willing to stay to develop their skills.
If the media— and I include bloggers in this comment — continues to hammer ugliness, if politicians don’t work together for the common good, and if citizens do not take responsibility for making sure that our system of government works, then we are no greater than ISIS. We can and we must do better.
Yes, this is a philosophical war and it is time to remind our citizens how precious and fortunate we are to be Americans. It is also a time to understand why other’s might like to live here so we can make appropriate accommodations to those who do respect our values.
Art work is always for sale. Contact me at marilynne@eichingerfineart.com or to see more, go to eichingerfineart.com.
I would love to hear your comments below.
Table of Contents