Interpretations

I was born near Athens, Ohio to a middle class family with good income, three cars, and a comfortable life with many privileges.  Often times we take for granted the things in life we get without work.  I do not feel as though there is anything wrong with being privileged, but does it ever occur to us that maybe we should stop and be thankful for what we have?  I say, too, that anyone that does this on a regular basis is something more than human; they are part of that population that understands what it means not to have the everyday comforts that most of us experience.  When was the last time you stopped and thanked the Almighty for the life you have and the freedom you enjoy?  Upon reading this abrazo how could your “unalienable” rights not seem more important and meaningful?

            I have never had first hand experience with war, and, God willing, I hope that I never will.  Maybe only the men and women that put their lives on the line truly understand what it is like to love, bleed, cry, and lose on the battlefield.  Now imagine those people who fight not to protect from an invasion, but rather for the right to say that they are free people.  There must be no greater feeling of joy, happiness, accomplishment, self-worth, and pride than that which one feels when fighting and winning freedom.

            However, we often take for granted when we do have that freedom.  Are we really so insensitive that we can't simply take five minutes a day to stop and thank God, and also to thank those that have fought and died for our freedom.  This could mean simply taking time to go to a cemetery to put flowers on the grave of a soldier.  We are the ones who reap the benefits of their efforts.  These men and women fought for something that they never got to enjoy afterwards because they gave the ultimate gift: their life.  They gave up their freedom and life so that we might have more freedom and a better life.  We need to appreciate and thank those who fight for the cause of our freedom.

            The young twins fought in El Salvador for what they believed was right and for their freedom and ability to live a better life.  Perhaps we can imagine that these boys grew up not knowing what would happen to them from one day to the next, or maybe they wanted to know what freedom really is.  They fought for a cause, and one lost his life for that cause.  Perhaps it isn’t important to some to understand what others endure for the cost of freedom and hope, but it should matter.

            Imagine the “whole of pain” that the surviving twin must have felt.  The feeling of the “whole of war” was the saddest and hardest event that this young boy would probably ever experience because there is no feeling worse than the feeling of loss, especially of a loved one.  Perhaps that is why the photographer, Julio, was unable to take the picture.  His finger wouldn’t let him because somewhere in his sea of emotions he understood what the boy was going through.  The picture of his life suddenly became unimportant because there are things in life which a picture does no justice for, nor should it try.

            The dead brother had lost his life in the pursuit of a better and more fruitful life.  It should not take a story like this to move us to be thankful for something which is granted us upon birth.  Sadly, however, we all too often need reminders of the wonderful gifts that have been given us by the millions men and women who died for our sake.  Hopefully we also can understand why people in other countries also fight for the sake of freedom.  Not everyone has the same privileges and rights we have, so we should understand why people fight for a greater cause and a better life.  We should never take for granted what we have, and always be thankful to those who gave us what we do have.

Photo from: http://www.icss.com/usflag/