People losing sight of what’s important
As a teacher, I had many opportunities to travel through the United States and foreign countries. The most fascinating and depressing was Russia. The landscape is beautiful, the younger generation angry and the older generation looked as if they have been beaten to the ground.
However, an eye-opening trip was to Belize. There, we worked with a group of teachers. In a conversation with one of the teachers, I asked a question, and I truly don’t remember what it was. It was the answer that still stays with me.
The person said, quite frankly, you Americans are dumb. After getting over the shock and anger, I asked why they felt that way. Their reply: “You Americans no longer think for yourself. You let your government make you think everything is wonderful and they will make your life easier, and everything should be free. One day, you will hopefully find out the truth before it is too late.”
In another country, I was told almost the same thing — not verbatim, but almost. I watch what is going on here in this great country and my heart is sad.
People do not want to work. No more children, adopt dogs. We are an emotionally unstable group of people. We act before we research history and glean knowledge. Our cellphones have become an attachment to our bodies. We look at history as a curse that never happened. A professor living in Bruceton Mills summed it up, “Politicians have no idea what the Constitution says or the powers it holds.”
I look around and listen, and I have to agree, we are the most ignorant of people.
Linda Newcome
Masontown, W.Va.
