What we mow down when we think we're right

Having just returned from a week in a tent with no cell phones, internet access or newspaper delivery, I only just learned of the goings-on in Crawford, TX. That a pickup truck would run over crosses erected by anti-war protesters has taken my breath away. What has our society come to that someone could do such a thing that so dishonors the people who have died in our military?

Our society has become so divided that we forget the things that unite us. Everyone has a desire to love and be loved. The people who die serving in our military have families, friends and people who love them. They are important people, and they deserve to be respected for the sacrifices they have made. They deserve our respect, and the people who love them deserve our respect.

Yet, when we human beings feel so self-righteous about our positions - that we are right and that someone else is wrong - we tend forget that the people who disagree with us are real, live, flesh-and-blood people. Larry Northern's action of mowing down these crosses is but a symptom of a far greater problem. We have forgotten how to interact with one another in ways that actually solve disagreements, not exacerbate them.

I'm sure that Mr. Northern is a card carrying American patriot. Did he check this at the door when he ran over those crosses? No. I imagine that he thought he was doing a patiroitc act by toppling these crosses because they were placed there by anti-war protestors. Of course, I have no idea about his motives, but I can speculate that he was too busy being angry at the protesters to realize that his actions disrespected the soliders who had given their lives for our country.

We don't all have to agree on everything in life. In fact, if we did things would be pretty boring. But, we do have to respect one another. Because when we forget that we're all real people, we end up mowing down a lot more than we realize.