". . . “I said, ‘When was Andrew Jackson?’ It was 1828, that’s a long time ago, that was Andrew Jackson,” Trump said, a sign that the history to follow would be somewhat shaky. Reminiscing about a visit to Tennessee in March, Trump continued: I mean had Andrew Jackson been a little later you wouldn’t have had the Civil War. He was a very tough person, but he had a big heart. He was really angry that he saw what was happening with regard to the Civil War, he said, “There’s no reason for this.” People don’t realize, you know, the Civil War, if you think about it, why? People don’t ask that question, but why was there a Civil War? Why could that one not have been worked out? . . . As with so many things Trump says, the quotation is simultaneously deeply confusing, and yet also deeply revealing. . . Marking Black History Month, Trump delivered a perplexing paean to a great abolitionist that suggested he believed the man was still alive: “Frederick Douglass is an example of somebody who’s done an amazing job and is getting recognized more and more, I notice.” . . . In March, speaking about the most famous Republican president in history, Trump said, “Most people don’t even know he was a Republican.” . . . "
The greatness of the"26 Acts of Kindness," idea, in honor of the students and faculty who died at Sandy Hook Elementary School, cannot be underestimated. This is truly a wonderful effort that unites those involved in a common, elevating, human endeavor that transcends self and serves the greater good.
But I believe we owe ourselves and future generations, a new, personal commitment to change the face of humanity, as we know it, and significantly improve our existence. I propose we adopt an “Acts of Kindness” philosophy all day, every day and ALWAYS. The things that we could accomplish through such a philosophy simply boggle the mind. Limiting our kind acts to 26 is all too like the rear-auto window signs that proclaim “Baby On Board”. In other words, we need not limit our acts of kindness to a mere total of 26 any more than we should limit our cautious driving only to situations where we know the person ahead of us has a baby ‘on board’, as though the life of individuals in cars that are alone, have a parent, friend or sibling on board are less valuable (than that of a baby) and therefore deserve less caution on our part when driving.
In order to achieve this impressive height of human potential we will have to dispense with a multitude of pre-existing baggage and self-serving paradigms. This, needless to say, will be more difficult for some than for others.
We must take great care to prevent these ‘Acts’ from becoming rote ceremony or hollow lip service, like some of us have encountered in our church experience. By this I mean such as the good Catholic who piously bestows a hearty ‘peace be with you’ upon his pew-mate then blows his car horn furiously while flipping the bird to the parishioner in the proceeding vehicle who doesn’t exit the church parking lot as swiftly as the saintly one would like.
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