I'm Thankful For...Life

I'm thankful that I have my freedom and independence, that I don't have to live in a concentration camp, or in extreme poverty without water. I'm thankful to be an American. When you think about it, even those who are below the poverty line here in America, seem quite better off in comparison to those in third-world countries such as Africa. Take, for example, North Korea. Those poor people who live in concentration camps, never being allowed to leave the country, imprisoned in their own homes. No individuality allowed, no creativity allowed - only pure subordination, obedience, and conformity. What kind of world is that? An awful world, that's what. So...as we're really getting into the holiday season (and Thanksgiving is over), just reflect on how lucky you might be this year. Even when you think things can't get any worse, they probably can. So be thankful and I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Now after that Hallmark-card moment, let's get down to the nitty-gritty details of what happened in the past couple of days!

Why do people have to ruin holidays by killing others? The fact that four relatives were shot dead at a Thanksgiving Party really just amazes me. No matter how angry you are, how can you resort to violence and murder? It just doesn't factor into my brain, which gets me thinking about gun control. American citizens have the right to bear arms, no? But to what extent do we allow gun control?

Which gets me think about the activists lobbying for abortion rights or anti-abortion, now that the Universal Health Care Bill is in Senate. The question of abortion is highly controversial in today's society. Once again, science is pitted against morals and possibly even religion. Personally, I am anti-abortion. No matter what scientists may say, that blastocyste is still a child. It's a potential life, as we all started out as, and killing that life before it even has a chance to live at all is inhumane. You may say that one life is worth saving perhaps millions of others who may have a disease. Well, yes, that may be the case, but who are we to decide who can live or die before the human being is even given the chance to plead his/her case? It's like that question that people are often asked: If you were standing at a lever that could switch the train tracks, and there were 3 people on one track and 5 people on one track. The train, if left to go on its original path, would kill the 5 people, leaving the 3 people on the other track completely unharmed. Would you pull the lever to change fate? I wouldn't. I'd rather know that it was meant to be that those 5 people were to die, than spend the rest of my life with the guilty conscience that I voluntarily had something to do with choosing one life over another. All lives are equal, right?

Sigh, the questions of life. Why are they so complex?

Happy Holidays everyone.