A word concerning football

A though concerning football

Yesterday while perusing my feed from friends, leaders, and others who inspire me I noticed a trend in posts concerning the act of kneeling during the National Anthem. This is not the first time I have seen this but some of the posts made me sit up and take some notice, ultimately inspiring me to write this blog.  Interestingly this is the third attempt as the first two glitched and deleted themselves before I could share.  

For me this is not a matter of right or wrong.  I am passionately a fan of the First Amendment and free speech (which also is choice of agency aka free will).  I would never deprive a person of their right to speak and act as they choose.  In life there are consequence to every action, but I am not judge nor jury.  What I am is an American Citizen and a member of the planet we call earth.  

If someone chooses to kneel, or chooses to stand, on the field kudos for them and their right to choose.  My only concern for those who are doing this is what do they do while off the field of play.  Indeed, what are they doing in their communities and larger arenas to effect the change they are seeking.  If they are actively engaged then fantastic.  If not, however, it then becomes a question of character and integrity.  

This goes deeper than simply a protest or someone kneeling or standing. We have become a nation of couch side protesters, choosing to post a thought on our screens and take what talking head pundants tell us to think as gospel.  When did we sell ourselves for that? Don't get me wrong, Social Media can be a great tool to do much good, but it is also rich and fertile breeding grounds for tempests of destruction.  I, in fact, will use Social Media to share my thoughts here.  Social Media does not do what local involvement can do or is capable of doing. We, as citizens of this nation have a right and duty to be involved and influential. If you go back and look through the founding era writings, they were incessant about people being involved in their local policies and governance. We were not supposed to be ruled by an aristocratic few from on high.  This is what they were working to eradicate.  And yes they were fallible, imperfect humans, just the same as you or I.  They knew, though, that systemic disease cannot be solved by waving a pen of legislation at the problem. It must be solved by the people.

Our country is very ill at the moment. Disease is running rampant in our towns and communities. It is our right and our duty to stand for the individual and for what we believe.  Will we disagree? Of course, if we all agreed it would be boring.  That is what makes life beautiful and diverse. The discussion is the tapestry of human experience, in the passion of focused moments. You are part of this and you have a voice.  Shine brightly in this world.  

Be the warrior poet: Be diplomatic when you can, fight when you must.  

Ps Cammi Love encouraged me to rewrite this after it was lost so thank you Cammi.