One day when I used to do archaeological work at a historic fort site my four year old twin daughters came running up to me exclaiming, "Look, mommy, at all those black people!" When I raised my head I expected to see American Africans, since I was conditioned to a world of rival black and white rhetoric profiling. But instead I saw a stream of nuns getting off a bus and heading our way.
Dear Ones,
In today's modern world it's the young people who are tired of old peoples' moth-balled religious garb. They're shedding their institutional clothing for more comfort and to also express reform. It's like a symbolic revolution against biased authoritarianism and out-fashioned thinking as well as what the world has been conditioned to wearing.
Thomas Paine took the lead in orchestrating the United States' revolution. He had the wisdom to see that colonialism was so embedded from England's power on the Americas that drastic action had to happen. But like prescription drugs, there are alternative ways that don't have devastating side effects.
The US Civil War that was the opposite of being civil caused the deaths of 70,000 men and women (more than 400 of them disguised as men) to bring the end of state's license for slavery. But that tragic war, as the revolutionary one, didn't have to happen. Both wars could have been avoided with opposing sides coming to a resolution and compromise through serious arbitration in Congress.
In the 1930s, prior to Charleston, South Carolina seceding from the Union in 1861, Parliament through law and order abolished slavery. But the US Congress insisted on oppressing American Africans in bondage as they continued to suffer and be lynched.
So, that being a reminder of our history, young people the world over are changing clothing design for alternative ones. Even nuns have shorter skirts as western styles are seen internationally. On TV screens of the world, only older religious people are seen in black robes and shrouds. The contrast is so obvious.
Even the radical religious KKK is abandoning its white red cross sheets as neck ties are taking on a new prominence in the annals of history, in contrast of former days. As to women, many are wearing circular scarves around their necks and heads and enormous scarves as capes, influenced by the Islam culture. We are all one communicative people. We copy one anothers ways and norms–a form of flattery.
Within crowds of people, religious institutional customs are giving sway to the progress of time. As Thomas Paine once said, there is a coming revolution against outmoded religion that was tyrannical from its very start. At least people no longer sacrifice their children to the bone fires and religious alters of burnt offerings. Now, if only we can stop sacrificing young people on battlefields and war zone alters of religious strife.
Sadly youths–new to the confusion, contradiction and historical corruption of religion–are fighting in battles led by twisted cult leaders. But in their historical ignorance of why dogma persuasions proselytize for power and control at the points of swords and ends of guns, they are instead of fighting in wars, are beginning to fight against war itself–a good strategy but a bad tactic. It is factual that their fanatical terrorist leaders are also misled. The agony of war and its tribal turf battles itself is an irony.
Mame
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